SOME victories in law enforcement are measured not only by arrests but by the powerful message they deliver — that justice may take time, but it never forgets.
Under the leadership of Police Regional Office 3 Director PBGen. Rogelio ‘Pojie’ Peñones Jr., two recent operations in Central Luzon have sent that message loud and clear: no fugitive can hide forever from the reach of the law.
After 28 years of evading capture, Fernando Umali — who had long used the aliases “Pandong” and “Ed” to conceal his identity — was finally arrested in Barangay Mapalad, Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija.
Once a member of the notorious “Atacador Group,” a gun-for-hire and robbery syndicate that terrorized parts of Nueva Ecija and neighboring provinces, Umali had been wanted for two counts of murder and one for frustrated murder.
His arrest was the result of the persistence and coordination of the Regional Special Operations Group under Lt Col. Leonardo Madrid, the Regional Intelligence Division led by Col. Jay Baybayan and the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office.
Just days earlier, another high-profile fugitive — alias “Lupin,” the suspect in the ambush-slay of Bulacan ABC President Ramil Capistrano and his driver — was captured in Navotas.
The arrest, carried out by the Bulacan Provincial Intelligence Unit in coordination with other tracker teams, capped months of careful surveillance and inter-provincial teamwork.
“These arrests reflect the kind of discipline and synergy that define PRO3,” said LtCol Dexter Versola, the regional spokesperson. “When every unit moves in one direction, success follows.”
For Peñones, these back-to-back accomplishments are testament to the PNP’s Focused Agenda under acting chief LtGen Jose Melencio ‘Tateng’ Nartatez Jr., particularly through the Enhanced Managing Police Operations or EMPO strategy.
“When leadership, intelligence and commitment move as one,” Peñones said, “justice will always find its way.”
