Top 10 most notorious criminals and criminal cases in the Philippines

Last updated on September 16th, 2025 at 06:32 pm

The Philippines is a beautiful country. It is a paradise for tourists and is considered safe, too. But like each country has a dark history, the Philippines also has something similar. This article take a look at some of the most notorious criminals in Philippines.

Notorious can mean a number of things. This criminal could be a murderer, a gang leader, a terror commander or a central figure in a national scandal. This list also features some significant criminal cases, too.

Most notorious criminals and criminal cases in Philippines

1. Chiong murder case

This incident is from July 16, 1997, in the Philippines. The infamous Chiong murder case includes the alleged kidnapping, rape and murder of sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong. The perpetrators faced capital punishment.

2. Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez

Back in 1993, Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez got brutally murdered in Calauan, Laguna, the Philippines. The case features police personnel Antonio Sanchez, the former mayor of Calauan. Sanchez is allegedly the mastermind of the serious crime.

3. Hultman-Chapman murder case

During the early 1990s, the Hultman-Chapman murder case gained a lot of publicity in the Philippines. This is majorly because Claudio Teehankee Jr, the perpetrator, is the son of the late former Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee.

4. Ben Tumbling

You cannot forget Ben Tumbling. The former stuntman-turned-police-hater-turned-multifaceted-criminal has a brutal history of engaging in robberies, drug trafficking and murder. He apparently claims that 7 officers had died from gunshot injuries.

5. Butch Belgica

Butch Belgica has been part of a high-profile homicide case in the Philippines and is also considered one of the younger gang bosses in the criminal underground. But it seems his story got a happy ending as he quickly realised the importance of God.

6. Baby Ama

Raised in poor conditions on the streets of Tondo, Manila, Baby Ama found himself behind bars at quite a young age for theft. He got electrocuted in 1961 despite being granted a pardon and getting his sentence changed to life in prison.

7. Asiong Salonga

This person is also from Manila’s Tondo. Asiong Salonga instilled a lot of fear throughout the region. He is a prominent gang boss famous for battling local gangs. He has been accused of a number of different crimes, such as murder.

8. Leo Echegaray

Many people in the country must be remembering this name. Leo Echegaray is one of the most notorious criminals in the Philippines. He is the first prisoner from their country to die of lethal injection (for repeatedly raping his daughter).

9. The axe slaughter

In 1963, Manila got a horrible update about an axe slaughter that left 5 security guards dead. The perpetrators killed Ricardo de la Cruz, Roberto Gonzalez, Francisco Timbol, Francisco Zablan and Alfredo Adaza as they died enroute to the hospital.

10. Romeo Jalosjos

Romeo Jalosjos is one of the most notorious criminals in the Philippines. He rose to prominence as the Zamboanga del Norte congressman but soon lost all of that glory after being going guilty of raping an 11 YO girl in 1996.

From this list, it is quite evident that there are quite a big number of notorious criminals in the Philippines. But that does not mean that the country is not home to beautiful and generous people. The country is also immensely beautiful and hospitable. the Philippines’ 10-year visa beats Thailand’s, it continues to open its doors wider to global travelers while showcasing its warm hospitality.

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