The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that approximately 300,000 wanted individuals are currently being pursued nationwide, as law enforcement agencies aim to apprehend every fugitive on the list.
The roster includes prominent figures such as Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Gerald Bantag, and business tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang.
“We are confident that we can achieve this goal because we have already shown that sustained and determined action can significantly reduce the number of wanted persons,” PNP Chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday, November 10.
“We will not be satisfied with reducing the backlog since our ultimate objective is to bring it down to zero,” he added.
Nartatez emphasized that the campaign against fugitives covers all individuals with pending warrants of arrest, regardless of their status or position in society. The PNP intends to achieve a zero-backlog target through continuous police operations, enhanced intelligence gathering, and tighter coordination with other law enforcement agencies.
When Nartatez assumed leadership of the PNP on August 26, 2025, the database recorded roughly 500,000 wanted persons. Over the past 14 months, operations have successfully reduced this figure by 200,000.
In October alone, police arrested 8,839 wanted persons nationwide, comprising 2,353 most wanted individuals and 6,486 other wanted suspects.
Regionally, the National Capital Region Police Office recorded the highest number of arrests at 1,641, followed by Police Regional Office (PRO) 3 with 1,503 and PRO 4A with 1,317.