THREE suspected members of a “notorious” gun-for-hire group were killed in a shootout with police personnel in Taysan, Batangas on Thursday, November 22.
Batangas Police Director Edwin Quilates said Solomon Panal, Virgilio Hernandez and Efren Cruzada were killed in an armed confrontation with policemen around 10:33 a.m. Thursday in Barangay Bilogo, Taysan.
The suspects, who were onboard a gray Toyota Hi-Ace, fired shots at the cops manning a checkpoint in the area as well as to the surveillance team from the Philippine National Police (PNP) who were already tailing them.
“Prior to the said armed confrontation, the group is reportedly hired to assassinate a still unidentified businessman from Taysan, Batangas and were conducting surveillance against their target,” said Quilates.
He said based on initial investigation, the slain suspects were members of a notorious gun-for-hire group involved in a series of gun-for-hire and robbery incidents in Batangas, Pampanga, Bulacan and Metro Manila.
Among their victims were Elvis Areglo, an inmate of the Batangas Provincial Jail who was killed in September 2018; Kenneth Lumanglas alias Pekto and a seven-year-old child who were killed on November 14; and Eddie Notabio, who was gunned down in Bagbaguin, Caloocan City on March 2017.
Quilates said the group also conducted a series of gun-for-hire activities in Sto. Tomas, Malvar, Tanuan City, Lipa City in Batangas, and Cabuyao City in Laguna.
“The neutralization of the suspects will significantly lessen the gun-for- hire activities in Batangas province and their areas of operations,” he said.
Earlier, PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde ordered his men to beef up operations against gun-for-hire groups, especially to lessen politically motivated crime incidents as midterm election nears.
Albayalde said the intensified operations against gun-for-hire groups, which may be used by politicians to get ahead of their opponents, is part of the security measures to ensure the peaceful conduct of midterm elections on May 2019.
Last week, the PNP collared at least six members of the Peralta group, a gun-for-hire group involved in several killings of personalities in the central and northern Luzon. (SunStar Philippines)