ILOILO City – Underscoring heightened security posture and swift response to crimes committed amid massive festival crowds, police arrested two suspected pickpockets from Manila during the height of the Dinagyang Festival 2026.
Personnel of Iloilo City Police Station 10 (ICPS10) arrested Ryan Ritchsan Cadiz, 39, and Mavrick Bong Balila, 35, both residents of Malate, Manila, in front of a convenience store at Gaisano City Time Square in Mandurriao district at around 6 a.m. on Saturday, January 25.
The arrest followed a theft incident reported three hours earlier at a bar in G-Park, Barangay San Rafael, also in Mandurriao.
The complainant, Wilkerson Pericon Diaz, 21, a student temporarily residing in Jaro district, reported that his Techno Spark cellphone worth P5,999 and a coin purse containing P150 cash and a laminated copy of his driver’s license went missing while he was inside the establishment.
Acting on the report, police immediately launched a follow-up operation using a tracking application installed on the stolen cellphone, which led operatives to the suspects’ location.
Authorities recovered the cellphone from Balila, while the coin purse was found in Cadiz’s possession. Both suspects were arrested on the spot and are now under the custody of ICPS10 for proper disposition and the filing of appropriate charges.
Police records showed that both suspects have previous criminal records, with Balila earlier linked to a case for violation of Republic Act 7610 and Cadiz previously facing a theft case.
Wilbert Parilla, officer-in-charge of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), warned criminals against exploiting the festival atmosphere, stressing that police units remain fully deployed across the city.
“Let this serve as a strong warning to those who intend to commit crimes during Dinagyang. Our police units are fully deployed, alert, and ready to respond. Anyone who tries to take advantage of the festivities will be arrested and will face the full force of the law,” Parilla said./PN
