Region 6’s most wanted man falls

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By Jennifer P. Rendon

Just two months after his arrest warrants were issued, Western Visayas’ most wanted person was collared early morning of July 20, 2022 in a hinterland village in Calinog, Iloilo.

A copy of his warrant of arrest was served to Joel Leyble when policemen in battle-dress attire stormed his house at Barangay Toyungan, Calinog around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday.

The arresting team is composed of officers from the Calinog Municipal Police Station and were aided by teams from the Regional Intelligence Division 6 (RID-6), PNP Special Action Force, Regional Intelligence Unit 6 (RIU-6), Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Special Operations Group (IPPO-SOG) Team 2, Lambunao Municipal Police Station, 2nd Iloilo Provincial Mobile Force Company (IPMFC) and the 602nd, 603rd, and 606th companies and battalion headquarters of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RFMB-6).

Also joining them were teams from the Philippine Army’s 12th Infantry Battalion and Philippine Air Force.

When asked about the perceived show of force, Major Dadje Delima, Calinog police chief, explained that the area where Leyble was arrested is a mountainous village where sightings of the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are reported.

“We couldn’t take chances on the security of government troops,” he said.

The law enforcers served Leyble with warrants of arrest for three counts of rape (Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code) docketed under Criminal Case Numbers 22-1268, 22-1269 and 22-1270.

Judge Redentor Eugenio Esperanza of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 76 in Janiuay, Iloilo issued the warrants on May 5, 2022.

No bail was recommended for his temporary liberty.

Delima said that the suspect was also accused of attempted murder fielded by another complainant.

Reports indicated that Leyble was accused by his sister-in-law of rape that allegedly happened on Jan. 20, 2021.

On the other hand, he was implicated in an attempted murder incident that took place March 12, 2021.

Leyble had been separated from his wife and resorted to backyard hog raising and kaingin (slash-and-burn) as means of livelihood.

As he was in hiding, the suspect was allegedly enticed by the NPA to join the movement.

“But he allegedly declined because he claimed to have plans to turn himself in sooner or later,” Delima said.

The suspect is now detained and will be turned over to the court concerned.

While Leyble was on top of the PNP’s most wanted list, no monetary reward was approved for his arrest.

The arresting troops were still treated to a reward after Mayor Francisco Calvo of Calinog town gave them a P200,000 incentive, which was distributed to the operatives.