CAMP SK PENDATUN, Maguindanao (PNA) – The police chief in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has ordered a region-wide manhunt against a police inspector and his companions who reportedly escaped from their custodians at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Police operatives in the ARMM’s five provinces have been ordered to arrest Inspector Rex Diongon, one of the police witnesses invited by the Department of Justice (DoJ) in connection with the November 23 Maguindanao massacre, according to Chief Supt. Bienvenido Latag, ARMM police regional director.

He said Diongon has been under restrictive custody and confinement at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame.

He was taken into police custody after putting him under questioning following the infamous massacre.

A Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) graduate, Diongon was group director of the Police Provincial Mobile Group in Maguindanao when the massacre happened.

Quoting reports from Camp Crame, Latag said Diongon was able to escape from his escort, SPO4 Nashrin Jakarain and other custodians from Headquarters Service Group at Camp Crame.

The other policemen were identified as Diongon’s deputy director at the PPMG in Maguindanao Insp. Michael Joy Macaraeg, Police Officers 1 Musa Abad, Jonathan Engid, Joharto Kaminda, Zoharto Samson, Abdul Macatimbol, and Abbey Guidem.