Kin of slain kidnap suspects cry salvage

Kuratong Baleleng II?

The wife of one of 12 alleged kidnap gang members reportedly slain in a shootout with policemen in Pangasinan on Friday insisted yesterday that it was a rubout.

Stella Ngawit, 32, claimed that her husband Dante was tortured by the police before he was killed.

Ngawit said her husband had been stabbed in the throat and his neck bore a hack wound. His ears were also swollen, she said.

Apart from the knife wounds, Dante also reportedly had bullet wounds in the chest, the abdomen and forehead.

Ngawit is seeking an impartial investigation on the death of her husband and 11 other alleged members of the so-called "Bagis Gang."

"When he left us on Friday morning at about 9, he told me that he would go to the San Roque Dam where he was stationed. He brought with him two kilos of dried mango, a kilo of pork and his bolo," Ngawit said.

Her husband was reportedly a platoon leader of the militia group Cordillera People’s Liberation Army based in Baguio City.

Relatives of the other fatalities, who refused to be identified for fear of reprisal, also accused the police of summarily executing the 12 suspects.

"Foul play — that’s what really happened. There was no shootout," one of them said.

Ten of the other fatalities were identified as former Marine Sgt. Rolando Franco, the alleged gangleader, and Randy Raquino, Randy Franco, Silverio Gorio, Jun Mendez, Jolito Ponguis, Laurence Salangao, Gary Santos, Bong Villapando and Juanito Villar.

The 12th fatality has not been identified.

Superintendent Rimas Calixto, head of intelligence and investigation group of the Cordillera Administrative Region police force, argued that the shootout was a result of legitimate police operations.

Calixto said the Bagis Gang, also called the Bonnet Gang, has been under close surveillance since last year.

Baguio City police director Senior Superintendent Villamor Bumanglag said they had been monitoring the gang’s movements as early as Thursday night following a tip-off that it intended to pull another kidnapping in Pangasinan.

Bumanglag also said Ngawit was arrested in Baguio City last year for robbery, but the suspect posted bail and joined the Bagis Gang operating in the Cordilleras.

He tagged the gang as being responsible for a string of robbery and murder cases in Baguio, adding that Friday’s incident would result in improved peace and order conditions in the city.

Meanwhile, Pangasinan police director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Mendoza said they were still closing in on another faction of the Bagis Gang operating in Northern Luzon consisting mostly of former soldiers and communist rebels.

Mendoza belied allegations that Friday’s incident was a rubout, saying the gang members opened fire first on the policemen manning a checkpoint in Barangay Laoac in Alcala town, Pangasinan.

Mendoza asserted that the rules of engagement were keenly observed by his men when they tried to apprehend the gangmen.

Police reportedly set up checkpoints in Alcala after receiving information that the Bagis Gang was targeting the vice mayor of the town.

Police have conducted paraffin tests on the slain suspects to determine if they fired any gun, indicating a shootout really took place.

Results of the tests are expected to be released within the week.

In another development, the family and relatives of a kidnapped Filipino-Chinese businessman urged the authorities to conduct a deeper investigation in the case to determine his fate.

They expressed fears that the abductors of Ricardo Sy, who was reportedly snatched by four armed men last month, might be among those slain in Alcala.

Sy, owner of a lumber and hardware store in Tarlac City, remains missing.

The Sy family said they have received at least three mysterious calls demanding P20 million in ransom for his safe release. — With Benjie Villa