For the first time in its one year of monthly monitoring of state-related violence, Sandatahang Dahas recorded body dumps of state agents.
In its January 2026 report, Sandatahang Dahas said two police officers were found dead in separate incidents in Bulacan.
On January 24, the body of PSMS Diane Marie Mollenido was found wrapped in cloth and plastic in a creek along the Pulilan-Baliuag Highway. She had a gunshot wound in the neck. Five days later, the body of her eight-year-old son was found in a calamansi farm in Tarlac. He had reportedly been strangled with plastic bags.
According to an investigation by the NCR Police Office, the case began when Mollenido made an offer to buy a Montero SUV from her godchild Katrina “Pia” Panganiban. She gave Panganiban PHP 500,000 as a down payment last December 18, 2025. On Jan. 16, 2026, Mollenido and her son went to Novaliches to sell their vehicle to pay for the remaining balance. It was the last time they were seen alive. Panganiban and her husband, a dismissed policeman named Christian Panganiban, are being investigated as the primary suspects.
On Jan. 30, the body of S/Sgt. Renato Casauay Jr. was found in a septic tank in Malolos City. He was last seen alive on his birthday last Jan. 24, when he told his wife he was meeting with a police asset, Julian “Mon” Salamat, who is also a member of a drug-peddling group. Last Dec. 14, 2025, Casauay reportedly launched an anti-drug operation that led to the arrest of a member of Salamat’s group. On Jan.24, Salamat shot Casauay five times before disposing of his body. He has since been arrested in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, along with two other suspects who helped hide the body.
2026 monitoring started with 37 killed and 23 injured.
State agents killed 15 civilians during law enforcement operations, seven insurgents (all alleged members of the CPP-NPA), and four fellow state agents (three police and one army). The assailants in the remaining 11 killings that all targeted state agents, were members of Dawlah Islamiyah (7), civilians (3), and an unidentified individual (1).
Fifteen state agents died in January 2026 compared to six in January 2025.
The year opened with a deadly encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro. While the AFP maintains that it was a legitimate operation, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesperson Marco Valbuena has stated that the encounter breached the ceasefire that the CPP-NPA unilaterally declared to last from December 31, 2025, to January 1, 2026. This ultimately led to the death of 24-year-old Jerlyn Rose Doydora, a college student, who succumbed to a prior illness as a result of the attacks. Reports state that Doydora was an alleged NPA member, but the National Democratic Front stated that Doydora was merely among a group of students who conducted research with the local community in Occidental Mindoro. Two soldiers were also injured during the encounter.
Karapatan, Bulatlat, and other groups also reported that there were three Mangyan Iraya children killed, and their mother injured, during the attack. However, this has been debunked by Abra de Ilog Mayor Meg Constantino, who reportedly consulted with the local Mangyan communities to confirm the reports.
Six other alleged NPA members were killed in January, with four of these in the Negros Island Region (NIR). On January 30, an encounter between the NPA and the 94th Infantry Battalion led to the deaths of Reynaldo Erecre alias “Amik” and Regie Pacheco alias “Dante” in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental. Erecre was allegedly a commander who served as the secretary of the Komiteng Rehiyon Negros, which supervised NPA operations in the NIR.
On the next day, two more NPA members were killed in a clash with the 47th Infantry Battalion in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. They were identified as alias “Ere” and alias “Inday” of the Central Negros Front 1.
Of the 15 civilians killed by state forces in January, 14 were during law enforcement operations. On January 20, 64-year-old Corey Dickpus was gunned down by police officers after he had allegedly shot first while they were issuing a warrant at his residence in Lubuagan, Kalinga. A policeman was also injured during the incident.
Tagged by the Department of the Interior and Local Government as a “National Most Wanted Person,” Dickpus had a PHP 1,000,000 bounty on his life. He had been wanted for a string of murders in Kalinga spanning three decades. Despite this, he was reportedly known as a local “Robin Hood” because he used his resources to benefit the local community. He had previously served as a vice mayor in Lubuagan.
On January 25, Shariff Aguak Mayor Akmad Ampatuan survived an attack in Maguindanao del Sur. This was reportedly the fourth attempt on Ampatuan’s life. A rocket-propelled grenade had been launched by three individuals against his armored vehicle, which left him unharmed but two of his bodyguards injured. One of them was PFC Manuel Arcega Dondiego of the 90th Infantry Battalion, while the other was a civilian. Police and military forces launched a hot pursuit operation against the victimizers, whom they eventually caught up with in Datu Unsay. The three suspects, Budtong Alim Pendatun, Tekz Malid Pendatun, and Puasa Oting Madid, were all killed during the operation.
Civilians are killed by police even outside of legitimate operations. On January 9, S/Sgt. Bonifacio Saycon killed three fellow police officers, including his chief, and a civilian in Sibulan, Negros Oriental. Members of the Sibulan Municipal Police Station were drinking at a local restobar when Saycon, seemingly without provocation, shot a woman named Shiela Mae Denauanao three times, killing her instantly. The other police members present, including chief Capt. Jose Edrohil Cimafranca, PSMS Tristan Chua, and Pat. Rey Albert Temblor apprehended Saycon and led him to a police car, intending to drive him to the station. While en route, Saycon pulled out his gun and shot the three police officers mentioned. Four counts of murder have since been filed against the suspect.
Aside from the three mentioned, 11 more state agents were killed in January 2026. At 14, this is the highest number of state agents killed recorded by Sandatahang Dahas monthly monitoring so far. Of these, half were killed by members of Dawlah Islamiyah.
On January 23, four soldiers died in an ambush in Munai, Lanao del Norte. S/Sgt. Diosito Araya, Sgt. Gilbert Arnoza, Sgt. Junel Calgas, and Pvt. Laniton were reportedly conducting a “peacebuilding engagement” when they were gunned down by alleged Dawlah Islamiyah members, who immediately fled the scene. Cpl. Rollen Dela Cruz was also injured during the attack.
In the neighboring Lanao del Sur province, Cpl. Raven Bulaclac alias “Abdul Jabbar” was killed by suspected Dawlah Islamiyah members while he was off-duty in Pagayawan on January 30. According to reports backed by the local community, Bulaclac had been instrumental in securing the surrenders of no fewer than a hundred Dawlah Islamiyah members in the past two years, which may have led to his eventual killing.
In Maguindanao del Sur, two soldiers died during consecutive encounters between Dawlah Islamiyah and the 90th Infantry Battalion. On January 27, Cpl. Ryan Jun P. Bagual was shot in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan. Another soldier, PFC Arvin Jake C. Janiel, was wounded during the encounter. On the next day, the lifeless body of Cpl. Junie Mangalay Jr. was found in a grassy field in the same municipality. He was reportedly killed during the same encounter.
In a press briefing a month earlier, on December 17, 2025, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, claimed that the local terrorist groups, in particular the Abu Sayyaf Group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Dawlah Islamiya, and Maute Terrorist Group, “are fragmented and largely defensive, with diminished operational reach and limited ability to regroup.” “This underscores,” Colonel Padilla added, “the erosion of their operational capacity and the effectiveness of sustained security monitoring.” With the killing of seven Philippine Army men by Dawlah Islamiya operatives in a month’s time, and all within the area of AFP’s Western Mindanao Command, the AFP may have to revisit this assessment.
Meanwhile, an unidentified individual killed one soldier and wounded another in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, a hotspot in Sandatahang Dahas monitoring. On January 27, PFC Mark Anthony Libo-on and PFC Jomare Sadjail were buying necessities at a local store when a lone gunman shot both of them some 200 meters away. Sadjail survived while Libo-on soon succumbed to his wounds. Police and military forces in Tipo-Tipo have launched operations to apprehend the suspect.
On January 20, a soldier was killed by a CAFGU member inside the Patrol Base Macaingalan in Rodriguez, Rizal. Assistant commander alias “Mark” was sitting in the kitchen when alias “Prince” came in with an M16 rifle and began shooting Mark repeatedly. Two other CAFGU members named “Jorald” and “Samuel” repeatedly began shooting from inside their shanty while shouting, “AssCom, tara magbarilan na tayo!” (Assistant Commander, let’s shoot it out!). Police investigation revealed that Prince might have shot Mark after the latter repeatedly admonished him for drinking; the three were reportedly drunk during the incident. They are now under custody at the Rodriguez Municipal Police Station.
Of the 37 killed in January, 33 were male, while four were female. While law enforcement operations still make up the majority of the circumstances of the killings at 23, there has been a significant increase in incidents falling under the category of “attack against state agent.” This pertains to cases wherein a state agent has died or sustained injuries outside of their official duties. Thirteen such incidents, leading to the state agents’ deaths, were recorded in January, compared to two in December of the previous year. Meanwhile, the case of Denauanao does not fall under any of the aforementioned circumstances.
In January, nine civilians were injured by state agents. On the other hand, 14 state agents were injured in incidents of state-related violence: seven were inflicted by civilians, four by alleged insurgents, two by fellow state agents, and one by an unidentified individual.
Significantly, civilians continue to be injured in circumstances outside of state agents’ law-enforcing duties. On January 9, a male person with disability was assaulted by a police officer while both were riding motorcycles in Tabogon, Cebu. When they reached the barangay hall in Labangon, the officer reportedly got off his motorcycle and punched the victim, prompting him to fall from his vehicle. The policeman has since been relieved from duty.
On January 17, 15-year-old alias “Phillip” was left in critical condition after CAFGU member alias “Jelmar” hacked him repeatedly in Surallah, South Cotabato. The incident began when Jelmar accused Phillip of stealing one of his chickens. During the confrontation, Jelmar pulled out a bladed weapon and attacked Phillip repeatedly, leaving him severely injured. The CAFGU suspect soon fled the scene. As of writing, a manhunt operation has been launched to locate him.
On January 19, an unnamed male was shot by an officer after reportedly attempting to escape police custody in Pandan, Catanduanes. The victim was about to be transferred to the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Virac to undergo a preliminary investigation when he attempted to escape while still wearing handcuffs. A chase ensued, with an officer shooting him in the knee. He was arrested again before being rushed to a hospital.
Incidents of domestic violence inflicted by state forces against their partners were constantly recorded by Sandatahang Dahas in 2025. This year is proving no different, with two cases recorded in January, both in the Zamboanga Peninsula. On January 9, 24-year-old Aizel Halup was taken hostage by her live-in partner in Zamboanga City. Pvt. Leomar Potestad, a member of the Marine Battalion Landing Team, reportedly began attacking Halup after demanding to see her account on the mobile application TikTok. The argument escalated; he then began to strangle her with a belt, pointed his issued firearm at her, and issued death threats. This lasted until the next day, when the victim was able to shout at her sister, who was living on the second floor, to call the police for help. Pvt. Potestad has since been arrested.
Similarly, on January 19, a woman complained that her policeman husband had been inflicting physical and psychological abuse against her in Rizal, Zamboanga del Norte. Reportedly, he also threatened violence against their child. Cpl. Henry Torres Boquida Jr. has since been arrested by the PNP-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group. The incident has pushed the PNP to state that they have zero tolerance for officers committing violence against women and children (VAWC). In 2025, at least four women were shot dead by their police officer partners. Furthermore, nine individuals were raped by police officers, with six being girls aged 18 and under, in 2025.
Of the 15 members of the state forces injured in January, eight occurred within law enforcement operations. On January 8, a police officer was assaulted by a civilian while patrolling at Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City for the annual Fiesta Señor. She had been causing a commotion in the area by spitting at civilians and destroying a nearby motorcycle. When the officer tried to calm her down, she hit him with her bag. Once under custody, she admitted that she was drunk during the incident.
On January 22, a police corporal was wounded during a buy-bust operation in Pavia, Iloilo. He had posed as a buyer to transact with a high-value individual named John Jun Jinco. During the deal, Jinco noticed his buyer was a policeman, which prompted him to shoot him in the stomach. Jinco was arrested while trying to escape.
State agents did not just kill each other; they also critically wounded one another. On January 8, Cpl. Ryan Vizmanos sustained a gunshot wound during a buy-bust operation in General Trias, Cavite. But it was not the suspect who shot him, nor was it even a fellow police officer during the operation. It was Pat. Harvey Pedrito Mendoza, uninvolved in the operation, who heard of a commotion about 200 meters from his residence, and began to shoot. He mistook the operation for a crime. Both he and the target of the buy-bust operation are under police custody.
Inside the CIDG Headquarters at Camp Crame, PEMS Eric Castro was stabbed by fellow police officer PSMS Michael Camillo on January 13. They were both in the kitchen when Camilo suddenly drew a knife and attempted to attack. Castro tried to stop him, but he got stabbed in the process. Both the victim and the suspect are among the six police officers under restrictive custody for allegedly stealing evidence money during a POGO raid in Bataan back in 2024.
Among the 23 individuals injured in January, 18 were male, two were female, and three individuals’ sex was unreported. More than half of the incidents (12) occurred during law enforcement operations. The rest is divided into attacks against state agents (5), an injury during state agent custody (1), and incidents that do not fall under any of the aforementioned categories (5).
The year 2026 dawned with Mindanao having the most number of incidents of state-related violence, with 18 killed and eight injured. Maguindanao del Sur, a persistent hotspot in Sandatahang Dahas monitoring, again incurred the most incidents in January, with five killed and two injured. Lanao del Norte followed with four killed and one injured, with all incidents inflicted by Dawlah Islamiyah against soldiers. Cotabato had four killed, while Zamboanga del Sur followed with three incidents (one killed and two injured). Basilan had one killed and one injured. Meanwhile, Agusan del Sur, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao del Norte each had one killed, while South Cotabato and Zamboanga del Norte reported one injured each.
Luzon comes in second, with ten killed and 11 injured. NCR, another known hotspot, reported two killed and three injured in January. Bulacan follows closely behind, with two killed and two injured. Occidental Mindoro reported three incidents: one killed and two injured. Cavite and Kalinga reported one killed and one injured each. Apayao, Rizal, and Sorsogon had one killed each, while Catanduanes and Pangasinan each had one injured.
Lastly, Visayas had 13 incidents of state-related violence, half of Mindanao’s. Nine were killed while four were injured. Most of the incidents were concentrated in Negros Oriental, which had six killed, all of them by state agents. The neighboring Negros Occidental followed, with two NPA members killed. Cebu and Iloilo also reported two injuries each, while Samar had a lone incident of state-related killing.
The year 2026 began with more incidents of state-related violence (37 killed and 23 injured) compared to January 2025 (31 killed and 26 injured). Similarly, both years began with a deadly encounter between the AFP and alleged insurgents; in 2025, with the MILF, and in 2026, with the NPA. This month, state forces were killed or injured in high-profile cases that attracted significant attention, such as the two police officers found dead in Bulacan, the officer who shot three fellow officers and a civilian in Negros Oriental, and the officer who stabbed his fellow officer in Camp Crame, Quezon City. Significantly, many such incidents are inflicted by fellow members of the state forces. Meanwhile, incidents of brutality by state agents against civilians, including their domestic partners, continue to be recorded by Sandatahang Dahas.
[Aidrielle Raymundo is a university research associate at the Third World Studies Center (TWSC), College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines Diliman.
She also did the graphics accompanying this report. The data for this monthly monitor were compiled with the assistance of TWSC university researcher Joel Ariate and TWSC student assistants Nadine Castillo and Eugene Claire Belen Espino. To learn more about Sandatahang Dahas, visit its website and for the latest updates, follow the Sandatahang Dahas in these social media platforms: social media platforms: X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.]
