Lanao del Sur town vice mayor arrested for murder, frustrated murder

MANILA, Philippines — The vice mayor of Marantao town in Lanao del Sur was arrested on Friday over separate cases of murder and frustrated murder, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Saturday.

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According to the PNP, Vice Mayor Eli Eskandar Unte Alonto III, alias Bimmy Alonto, was arrested during an operation conducted by intelligence personnel and local police at around 8:45 p.m. in Crystal Inn in Barangay San Miguel in Iligan City. 

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“The vice mayor is the subject of an arrest warrant for a case of murder with no bail recommended, and a separate case of frustrated murder with P200,000 bail. Both were issued by Hon. Jamel Tabao Mamutik, Presiding Judge of RTC [Regional Trial Court], Branch 44, Initao, Misamis Oriental,” the PNP said in a press release. 

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The police noted that the arrest warrants were issued on July 15, 2026.

The PNP also shared that Alonto ranked first on the wanted list in Marantao, third in Lanao del Sur, and fourth on the Regional List of Wanted Persons in Police Regional Office 10.

In the 2025 midterm elections, Alonto defeated his opponent Saidamen Naga by a margin of 542 votes.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez commended the operation amid a holiday break “for exemplifying what the PNP truly means in this case.” /das