Operatives from the Passi City Police Station's Tracker Team arrested a wanted person on May 12, 2026, in Barangay Sablogon, Passi City, Iloilo. The suspect, identified as 59-year-old alias Cardo, a resident of Barangay Mula Pula, was apprehended at approximately 10:42 a.m. under a warrant for exploitation issued on August 1, 2023, by the presiding judge of Branch 68, Regional Trial Court, 6th Judicial Region, in Dumangas, Iloilo. The court recommended no bail for the suspect's temporary liberty. Cardo is currently in the custody of the Passi City Police Station pending the proper disposition of the case.
In separate operations conducted across Iloilo Province from May 7 to 12, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) intensified its campaign against illegal quarrying, resulting in the impoundment of 11 dump trucks. In coordination with the Iloilo Provincial Government's Task Force Overloading, the IPPO conducted consecutive anti-illegal quarry operations from May 7 to 9, leading to apprehensions in various municipalities.
Police Colonel Bayani Razalan, IPPO provincial director, stated that the crackdown aims to protect the province's natural resources and ensure compliance with local regulations. The Santa Barbara Municipal Police Station (MPS) recorded the highest number of apprehensions with three trucks, followed by the Passi City Police Station and Tigbauan MPS with two each. Zarraga, Dingle, Dueñas, and Guimbal MPS each recorded one apprehension.
Police investigations revealed several violations among the seized vehicles, including incompletely filled-out documents, misdeclared entries, tampered delivery receipts, open-dated documents, and the absence of hauling contracts. Some of the trucks remain impounded at local stations as authorities prepare charges for violations of the Revised Revenue Code of Iloilo (Illegal Quarrying) against the involved operators and drivers.
Police Lieutenant Colonel German Magbanua III, chief of the Passi City Police Station, identified the suspect as alias Cardo. The IPPO reiterated its commitment to sustaining operations against wanted persons and illegal quarrying to maintain regional peace and protect Iloilo's environment. The police statement emphasized the strong and dedicated leadership of Police Colonel Bayani Razalan in the campaign against wanted persons and illegal quarrying to protect the residents and ensure a crime-free province.
