Bacolod camp, Cebu officials welcome Ecleo arrest

Former Dinagat Island representative and PBMA ‘supreme leader’ Ruben Ecleo Jr. is arrested on July 30 in Pampanga. He was finally caught after years in hiding. He was served with a warrant of arrest in relation to anti-graft and corruption charges. | Contributed Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The camp of Alona Bacolod-Ecleo and several officials in Cebu welcomed the arrest of ex-congressman and cult leader Ruben Ecleo Jr.

Lawyer Fritz Quiñanola, a member of the legal counsel of the Bacolods, told CDN Digital in a phone interview on Thursday, July 30, that they were happy with Ecleo finally under the custody of the police after years hiding from authorities.

“We’re happy that justice has been finally served. Although we haven’t received the official word yet, and only heard it from the news, we really welcome this development,” said Quiñanola.

In 2012, Ecleo was convicted of parricide for killing his wife, Alona, a fourth-year medical student, whose body was found inside a black garbage bag in a deep ravine in Dalaguete town, southeastern Cebu in 2002.

The murder reportedly happened in the couple’s rented house in Sitio Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City, which is located approximately 57 kilometers northeast of where Alona’s corpse was dumped.

The former Dinagat Island representative and ‘supreme master’ of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA) was also convicted by the Sandiganbyan on graft charges.

READ MORE: Who is Ruben Ecleo Jr.?

However, he has managed to elude arrest from these crimes until on Thursday, July 30, 2020 when police from Luzon arrested him in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Police Major General Debold Sinas, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), presented the now-63-year-old Ecleo during a press conference.

Sinas said police served a warrant of arrest against Ecleo in relation to anti-graft and corruption charges.

READ MORE: After years in hiding, Ecleo arrested in Pampanga

“We only learned that the arrest was made due to the corruption charges filed against him (and not the parricide case), but nevertheless, we welcome and we’re happy about it,” Quiñanola said.

“His arrest just means that the hard work of the prosecution team did not go in vain and that our authorities did their best to capture one of the country’s most wanted criminal personalities,” he added.

Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), and Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, in separate interviews, lauded the police for Ecleo’s capture.

Ferro praised NCRPO’s swift action to catch the fugitive and added that it was a big accomplishment for the entire Philippine National Police (PNP).

“It’s a big accomplishment for the whole PNP, I would like to congratulate sir Debold Sinas for a job well done again for so many accomplishments. I think the group of General Debold Sinas of NCRPO are really good in enforcing the law and doing some big accomplishment for the whole Philippine National Police,” said Ferro.

Labella, for his part, said justice had finally caught up with Ecleo.

“Finally justice has caught up to him. Crime does not pay. No matter how long, it still has caught up to him. He has to face justice and let justice be done to his wife. Even if it was quite long, at least the arm of justice has caught up (with him),” said Labella.

The court sentenced Ecleo with reclusion perpetua (life imprisonment), which draws 20 to 40 years, and P25,650,000 in damages. /dbs

READ MORE: Surigao congressman convicted for killing wife Alona 10 years ago