RP’s most wanted murder suspect may be detained in Calamba jail

Pending a court order the Philippines' most wanted murder suspect, recently arrested in Thailand, might be detained at the Calamba City jail in Laguna, police said Sunday. Philippine National Police information head Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said that Jose Ma. "Bong" Panlilio, who arrived in Manila on Saturday, is currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, the PNP headquarters in Quezon City. Panlilio is the prime suspect in the murders of brothers Albert Gutierrez and Ariel Real, who were gunned down in Calamba in July 2003. He is also accused of robbing them of P250,000. "He is at the PNP Custodial Center pending the return of the warrant to the sala of Judge Antonio Manzano [of the Calamba City Regional Trial Court]. We have informed the Calamba City police station so they can inform the judge. We have to wait for the commitment order of the judge to know where he [Panlilio] would be detained," Espina told dzBB radio.

Since he became a fugitive seven years ago, posters of Panlilio have been plastered in Metro Manila, through the efforts of the victims' mother, lawyer Carmencita de Castro. He was also placed on the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) red notice. The 74-year-old Mrs. De Castro spent the last seven years tracking down Panlilio, spending at least P1 million to help solve the case and offering P5-million for information leading to Panlilio's arrest. Interpol agents nabbed Panlilio in Pattaya, Thailand last week in coordination with the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime. He was also arrested for violating Thailand's immigration laws after using a fake name on his passport. Panlilio arrived in Manila on Saturday. —VS, GMANews.TV