Anthony "Cantoi" J. Alcantara is a retired

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

lieutenant general and former police officer who has served as the executive director of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) since 2024. He had previously served as the

deputy chief of staff Deputy Chief of Staff and similar titles can refer to: Military positions United States Air Force *Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Cyber Effects Operations of the United States Air Force * Deputy Chief of St ...

of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...

from May 3, 2011 to February 2012, as well as commander of the 6th Infantry Division in

Cotabato City Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato (Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kutawatu'', Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ; Cebuano language, Cebuano: ''Dakbayan sa Cotabato''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, inde ...

from November 27, 2009 to May 2, 2011. He was previously a member of the

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...

Special Action Force The Special Action Force (SAF) is the elite unit of the Philippine National Police founded by Fidel V. Ramos, later the twelfth president of the Philippines. History Formed on May 12, 1983, by the now-defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC) as ...

under

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military officer to reached ...

during the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

in 1986, and later served as the spokesperson of the

in the early 2000s. As 6th Infantry commander, he implemented the nine-day

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

order of president

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

in the wake of the

Maguindanao massacre The Maguindanao massacre (also known as the Ampatuan massacre, named after the town where mass graves of victims were found) occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao, Philippines (now located in Ma ...

in 2009. In March 2025, he arrested former president Rodrigo Duterte based on an arrest warrant issued by the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

(ICC).

Education

Alcantara graduated from the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

in 1979.

Police and military career

Alcantara was initially a member of the

under the leadership of AFP

Deputy Chief of Staff Deputy Chief of Staff and similar titles can refer to: Military positions United States Air Force *Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Cyber Effects Operations of the United States Air Force * Deputy Chief of St ...

when the

occurred in February 1986. From 1992 to 1997, Alcantara was a member of the

Presidential Security Group The Presidential Security Command (PSC), known from 1986 to 2024 as the Presidential Security Group (PSG), is a Philippine close protection agency. It is the primary agency concerned with providing close-in security and escort to the Presiden ...

(PSG, later the Presidential Security Command). In the early 2000s, Alcantara served as the spokesperson of the

. On November 27, 2009, Alcantara assumed command of the 6th Infantry Division in

four days after the

occurred, enforcing the government's nine-day implementation of

in order to arrest the incident's perpetrators and prevent further violence from occurring. In May 2011, Alcantara was named

of the

, succeeding

Emmanuel Bautista Emmanuel Trinidad Bautista (born July 20, 1958) is a Filipino general who served as the 44th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as he succeeded Gen. Jessie Dellosa as AFP Chief. He served as the Executive Director of the Cabin ...

and holding the position until early February 2012, when he assumed command of the

AFP Northern Luzon Command The Northern Luzon Command (abbrv. as NOLCOM) is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' unified command in charge of the Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, including the Scarborough Shoal and th ...

Civilian career

On April 28, 2023, Alcantara's appointment as Special Envoy on Transnational Crime (SETC) was announced by the Marcos administration, with him assuming office in May 2023. By August 2024, Alcantara was appointed executive director of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC). On the morning of March 11, 2025, Alcantara, in coordination with

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

, served with prosecutor general Richard Fadullon of the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

the warrant of arrest issued by the

(ICC) to former president

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

upon the latter's return from

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcantara, Anthony Living people Bongbong Marcos administration personnel Philippine Army generals Philippine Constabulary personnel Philippine Military Academy alumni Ramos administration personnel Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)