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Mark Ernest Villeza - The Philippine Star
January 6, 2026 | 12:00am
“What these figures tell us is simple: we are going after the right people. Our focus in 2025 was clear – to track down high-risk and long-wanted individuals and ensure they face justice,” Nartatez said.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police arrested 84,567 wanted people in a nationwide campaign last year, a record the PNP describes as reflecting the sustained gains in focused law enforcement operations. Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the number showed a smarter and more targeted policing rather than arrests based on volume alone.
“What these figures tell us is simple: we are going after the right people. Our focus in 2025 was clear – to track down high-risk and long-wanted individuals and ensure they face justice,” Nartatez said.
According to the PNP, the arrests included 22,535 most wanted persons and 62,032 other wanted persons.
The National Capital Region Police Office recorded the highest number of arrests with 15,278, followed by the Calabarzon Police with 11,827 and Central Luzon Police with 9,245.
Also posting notable figures were the Central Visayas Police with 5,060 arrests, Bicol Police with 4,396 and Davao Police with 4,292.
The PNP said emerging regions also logged gains, with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recording 820 arrests and the newly established Negros Island Region apprehending 3,281 wanted people in its first year of operations.
Data showed that the 27,558 arrests, or 33 percent of the total, were recorded from Aug. 26 to Dec. 31, 2025.
These apprehensions included 7,651 most wanted persons and 19,907 other wanted people.
Nartatez attributed the achievement to tighter coordination with courts, improved warrant validation and sustained ground operations.
He added that the campaign against wanted persons is directly linked to community safety and public trust.
Nartatez said the PNP would continue with its focused law enforcement operations, anchoring these on accountability, professionalism and public service this year.
