BAGUIO CITY – The National Bureau of Investigation-Cordillera Administrative Region (NBI-CAR) has arrested a fugitive wanted for murder who had been in hiding for more than four decades.

NBI Director Judge Jaime B. Santiago (Ret.) confirmed the arrest of Mario Lumague y Caubang, who had been evading authorities since 1984.

Court records showed that Lumague was charged with murder in Baguio City in 1983. He escaped from police custody before his scheduled court hearing on November 19, 1984, prompting the Regional Trial Court Branch 5 to issue a warrant for his arrest on February 27, 1986.

Based on an intelligence report, Lumague was recently spotted working as a taxi driver in Baguio City. During drinking sessions, he allegedly boasted about killing someone in the 1980s and escaping from police custody.

Following weeks of surveillance, NBI agents confirmed Lumague’s location in his rented apartment in Upper Pinget, Baguio City. On September 4, 2025, agents served the arrest warrant and apprehended him without incident.

He was brought to the NBI-CAR office for booking and presented the following day before RTC Branch 5, which issued a commitment order for his detention at the Baguio City Jail Male Dormitory.