NATION

Masbate dragnet operation yields 5 suspects

Jing Villamente · Oct 27, 2026, 9:50 PM

FIVE men were arrested by Aroroy Municipal Police Station personnel in Barangay Malubi, Aroroy, Masbate following reports of an armed harassment incident in Barangay Sawang. Police intercepted the suspects riding three motorcycles and seized four unlicensed .45-caliber pistols, seven magazines and live ammunition. — Photograph courtesy of Philippine National Police/Facebook

Police arrested five armed men, including an elected village official and three paramilitary members, following a pursuit operation in Aroroy, Masbate, on Monday afternoon after the group allegedly harassed and intimidated local residents.

Officers from the Aroroy Municipal Police Station (MPS) and the Bicol Police Regional Office intercepted the suspects at around 5:20 p.m. in Barangay Malubi after receiving reports that armed men on motorcycles were terrorizing a family in neighboring Barangay Sawang.

Police identified the suspects as Jerson Vargas, Mamerto Vargas Jr., Robert Vargas, Ivan Guteza and Alvin Claro.

Investigators confirmed that Jerson Vargas is an active barangay kagawad in Barangay Bat-ongan, Mandaon town, while Mamerto Vargas, Guteza and Claro serve as members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary.

Authorities launched a dragnet operation and established tactical checkpoints after receiving the complaint. The suspects attempted to flee and ignored police orders to pull over before officers intercepted them, police said.

Responding teams confiscated four .45-caliber pistols, along with multiple magazines and ammunition, after the suspects failed to present valid licenses and permits to carry firearms.

“I commend the swift dragnet operation of PRO-5 and Aroroy MPS for taking these heavily armed individuals off the streets,” Philippine National Police chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said. “No elected official, much less force multipliers entrusted with security, stands above the law.”

Police records revealed that Jerson Vargas has a prior criminal history, including previous arrests for murder and illegal possession of explosives.

While earlier murder complaints in Mandaon and Aroroy were provisionally dismissed due to a lack of complaining witnesses, he remains under preliminary investigation for a June 2026 explosion and additional murder charges.