Crime in Cagayan Valley drops 6.33%; PRO2 arrests 1,940 wanted men in six months

TUGUEGARAO CITY — Police arrested 1,940 wanted persons across Cagayan Valley during the first six months of Police Regional Office 2 (PRO2) Regional Director PBGen Mariano C. Rodriguez, as the region recorded a 6.33-percent decline in total crime incidents.

Of the arrested wanted individuals, 353 were classified as Top Most Wanted Persons (TMWPs), while 1,587 were categorized as Other Wanted Persons (OWPs), based on PRO2's accomplishment report covering May 1 to October 31, 2026.

The arrests formed part of the intensified campaign against criminality under Rodriguez, who assumed leadership of PRO2 on May 1, 2026.

PRO2 recorded 4,527 crime incidents during the six-month period, down by 306 cases or 6.33 percent from the 4,833 incidents recorded from November 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026.

The region's Average Monthly Crime Rate also declined from 20.49 to 19.19, while Public Safety Indicator incidents dropped by 11.38 percent, from 2,619 to 2,321 cases.

The Eight Focus Crimes decreased by 2.68 percent, from 447 to 435 cases, while Peace and Order Indicator incidents slightly declined by 0.36 percent, from 2,214 to 2,206 cases.

PRO2 also reported the recovery of 24 of the 27 carnapped motor vehicles reported during the period and all 15 reported stolen cattle.

In its campaign against illegal drugs, police conducted 455 operations that led to the arrest of 545 individuals, including 57 High-Value Individuals and 488 Street-Level Individuals. Seized illegal drugs were valued at approximately ₱20 million.

Operations against illegal gambling resulted in the arrest of 536 individuals and the confiscation of ₱488,925 in bet money.

Police also recovered 692 undocumented firearms and confiscated 75,851 board feet of forest products worth approximately ₱8.13 million in anti-illegal logging operations.

Despite the overall decline in crime, PRO2 reported increases in robbery, theft, carnapping, and non-index crimes, which remain areas of concern.

Its Crime Clearance Efficiency stood at 98.39 percent, while Crime Solution Efficiency reached 83.12 percent, both lower than the preceding six-month period.

The accomplishments were reported as Rodriguez marked his first six months as regional director.

During the same period, Cagayan Valley was formally declared insurgency-free and attained Stable Internal Peace and Security status on June 4, 2026.

Rodriguez said the accomplishments should be measured not only by the number of operations and arrests but also by the lives protected, communities secured, and public trust earned.

He vowed to sustain the region's peace and security efforts through professionalism, integrity, accountability, and commitment to public service.