Police authorities arrested an American citizen who was found to be coddling minors inside his
condominium unit in Cagayan de Oro City.
Lt. Col. Lemuel Gonda, acting chief of the Northern Mindanao Police – Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU-10), said in an interview on Tuesday that they will be filing criminal charges against Sebastian Alexander Altamirano, who claimed to have a residence in Barangay Camaman-an.
Gonda said police raided Altamirano’s condominium unit and found three minors aged 13, 16, and 17, who were unrelated to him. Operatives also found from the suspect’s possession assorted gadgets that were allegedly used to exploit the three victims.
He said the police acted on a complaint lodged by a 34-year-old mother.
Altamirano faces charges in violation of Republic Act (RA) 10364 or the “Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012” and RA 7610 or the “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”
Gonda said the suspect is now being detained at the Cagayan de Oro City Police Station 5 in Barangay Macabalan while the minors were first turned over to the Women and Children Protection Desk and then later, to their mother.
Meanwhile, police units in Bukidnon province arrested two “most wanted” suspects facing separate murder charges.
Maj. Kevin Bangsoy, acting police chief of the Baungon Municipal Police Office, reported on Tuesday the arrest of Julieto Gempisaw, considered as the second most wanted person in Northern Mindanao.
Bangsoy said authorities arrested Gempisaw on January 16 at around 5:00a.m. in Barangay Mabunga, Baungon town through a warrant issued by Presiding Judge Jose Yamut of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 11.
Gempisaw, 48, a laborer, has a pending murder case for allegedly killing Reneboy Cole, 19, a member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit, on Mar. 25, 2014.
Gempisaw was also the fourth most wanted person at the provincial level and the top at the municipal level.
On the same day, authorities at the Manolo Fortich municipal police arrested Jimboy Libres, 30, considered as the Top 1 most wanted person at the municipal level, for a murder case pending at the RTC Branch 11.
Maj. Carlito Chua, station commander of the Manolo Fortich Municipal Police Office, said Libres, a farmer, was apprehended in Sitio Pulog, Barangay San Miguel.
Libres is the principal suspect in the death of Mario Fabrigas, 61, on Aug. 21, 2021, in Barangay Maluko.
Based on the police report, the victim was fixing his fence when he was allegedly shot several times on his chest by the suspect over a land dispute.
Philippine News Network 