BUTUAN CITY – Another criminal case has been filed against Jorgeto Corpuz Santisas, also known as “Datu Adlaw,” after a court issued a charge for violation of Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, under Criminal Case No. 18265.
On June 15, 2025, the Surigao City Police Office announced that they had served the warrant of arrest while Santisas was in custody at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Surigao City Jail.
The case was issued by Presiding Judge Vals P. Lisondra of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 29, in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte.
The warrant, dated June 2, 2025, comes with a no-bail recommendation.
Santisas, known for identifying himself as a leader of the Federal Tribal Government of the Philippines (FTGP) based in Barangay Sabang, Surigao City, is a native of Barangay Panikian in Carascal, Surigao del Sur, and originally from Davao del Sur.
He is associated with several other individuals, including Bae Lourdes Latraca Infante, 60, tribal chieftain of the FTGP’s Surigao City Chapter, and Jhavie Latraca Infante, 50, FTGP’s Information Officer — both residents of Purok 5, Barangay Sabang.
The group has been reported to have conducted unauthorized checkpoints and padlocked several establishments in the city.
They have also laid claims to lands citing the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA Law) under RA 8371, actions which have caused concern and disruption among motorists and the general public.
