Ex-mayoral bet nabbed for gun possession; group cries harassment

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December 25, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — A former mayoral candidate of Abra de Ilog town in Occidental Mindoro was arrested on Monday for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, the Philippine National Police reported yesterday.

Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) raided the house of Ramon Alcantara in Barangay San Vicente at 4:05 a.m. and found a .45-caliber handgun and a caliber .33 rifle along with 446 assorted bullets.

The CIDG raid was based on a search warrant issued by a court in Palawan for violation of Republic Act 101591 or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.

Alcantara also allegedly has warrants of arrest for murder and four counts of frustrated murder issued by a court in Occidental Mindoro.

“This is the reason why we have been focusing on strategic operations to account for all these fugitives, particularly those in the most wanted list from municipal to national levels,” Nartatez said in a statement.

Human rights group Karapatan-Southern Tagalog condemned the arrest, saying Alcantara is a staunch advocate of indigenous people’s rights and is actively resisting mining operations in Mindoro.

Karapatan said the government has been trying to connect Alcantara to an armed encounter between soldiers and communist rebels in Abra de Ilog last Nov. 26.

“These forms of harassment and intimidation only reflect the worsening state of human rights in the country,” the group said in a statement.

CIDG-Calabarzon chief Lt. Col. Ganaban Ali said Alcantara is listed by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency as a leader of the National Democratic Front.