BAGUIO CITY – A high-profile fugitive and former politician, dubbed the “Robinhood of Kalinga,” was killed in a 30-minute firefight with police forces in Sitio Tocpao, Barangay Poblacion, Lubuagan town, Kalinga province, before dawn on Wednesday, January 21.
The suspect, identified as Corey Dickpus, 64, was a former barangay captain and vice mayor of Lubuagan. He had long been listed as a national most wanted person by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), with a ₱1 million bounty for his capture.
Police said Dickpus was spotted in the area, prompting lawmen and members of the Special Action Force (SAF) to serve arrest warrants for murder and frustrated murder.
Intelligence reports indicated he was heavily armed, which was confirmed when he engaged the arresting team in a gun battle that lasted half an hour.
Dickpus was wounded during the firefight and rushed to the Kalinga District Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
A police sergeant was also injured and is now in stable condition.
Authorities seized an M16 rifle with M203 grenade launcher, an M14 rifle, a caliber .45 pistol, ammunition, and several magazines during the operation.
Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., acting chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), commended the local police and SAF for their “dedication and commitment to enforce the law no matter how challenging and risky it is.”
He assured full medical support for the wounded officer and emphasized that the operation should serve as a strong message against challenging police authority.
Dickpus had a storied past. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was implicated in multiple criminal cases, including the ambush of SAF commandos that left two policemen dead and the shooting of five salt traders in Tabuk City, Kalinga, which killed two.
Despite these charges, he managed to evade arrest for decades, allegedly aided by loyal supporters in the remote municipality.
Locals often viewed him as a Robinhood figure, citing his use of resources for community initiatives.
This reputation, combined with the town’s isolation—reachable only by a three-hour jeepney ride from Tabuk City and up to nine hours from Baguio—helped him remain elusive.
In the May 2025 elections, Dickpus ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for vice mayor of Lubuagan, placing third.
The Police Regional Office-Cordillera Administrative Region is expected to return the arrest warrant and inform the issuing court of the neutralization of Dickpus. (Zaldy Comanda, Aaron Recuenco)
