ILOILO CITY — A dismissed police officer wanted for murder voluntarily surrendered to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) early Sunday, July 5, just four days after the Philippine National Police Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) launched a controversial operation at a police station in Iloilo City to arrest him.
Jerry Villanueva, 40, a resident of Arevalo, Iloilo City, surrendered to PRO-6 acting regional director BGen. Randulf Tuaño at around 12:45 a.m. at Camp Martin Teofilo B. Delgado in Fort San Pedro, City Proper.
Villanueva is the subject of an outstanding warrant of arrest for murder issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 31 in Iloilo City on April 26, 2022. The warrant carries no recommended bail.
During his surrender, Villanueva turned over his issued Taurus TS9 service firearm and one magazine before he was placed under the custody of the Iloilo City Police Station 1.
According to Tuaño, Villanueva decided to surrender because he wanted to finally face the criminal case against him and put an end to his legal troubles.
“According to him, he decided to surrender because he wanted to face the case filed against him and finally put an end to the legal problems he has been facing. What is important is that we were able to peacefully implement the warrant of arrest and bring him before the court in accordance with the law,” Tuaño said.
The PRO-6 chief said the peaceful surrender reflected the effectiveness of sustained intelligence efforts, coordination among police units, and continued engagement with the community.
“If you have an outstanding warrant of arrest, my advice is to face your case. No one is above the law, but everyone has the opportunity to go through the legal process peacefully and with full respect for due process,” he added.
Failed arrest operation
The surrender came after PNP-IMEG, backed by personnel from the Special Action Force, conducted a surprise operation at the Iloilo City Police Station 4 in Molo on July 1 to serve the warrant against the former policeman.
The operation, which involved more than 20 IMEG operatives, ended without Villanueva’s arrest after he was nowhere to be found inside the station.
The incident drew attention after Station 4 commander Capt. Ryan Christ Inot claimed IMEG operatives entered the station without prior coordination with local police or higher headquarters while officers were preparing for a buy-bust operation.
According to Inot, police officers inside the station were ordered to lie on the ground, temporarily disarmed, and had their mobile phones confiscated while IMEG personnel searched the premises for the fugitive.
A barangay captain and a media representative who had been summoned as witnesses for the anti-drug operation were also allegedly held at gunpoint during the operation.
Inot likewise questioned the conduct of the operation, saying IMEG personnel did not present a recognizable photograph of the wanted suspect and that the station was considering legal remedies over the incident.
The anomaly prompted the PRO-6 and the National Police Commission 6 to conduct separate investigations to determine if the operation of IMEG had violated PNP rules.
Linked to high-profile cases
Reports showed that Villanueva has figured in several high-profile cases during his time in the police service.
In 2018, while assigned to the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, he was among the officers linked to the controversial raid on a residence in Jaro, Iloilo City.
The family accused members of the raiding team of taking valuables worth more than P3 million, including expensive jewelry allegedly seen on closed-circuit television footage.
He was also among the police officers charged by the National Bureau of Investigation in connection with the fatal shooting of Allen Muller in Jaro and Delfin Britanico in La Paz on Jan. 19, 2020.
Investigators said witness accounts and forensic evidence identified Villanueva and another police corporal as suspects, although authorities noted that the two killings were not directly connected.
Police records show Villanueva was transferred to the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit in 2018 and had previously served with the Iloilo City Police Office beginning in 2015.
The PRO-6 has yet to release further details on the specific murder case covered by the outstanding warrant that led to Villanueva’s arrest.