2 more Villaver kidnap gang members surrender, 3rd arrested

One down.

The Villaver kidnap gang has been neutralized, Philippine National Police (PNP) and Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane said yesterday, after two more Villaver gang members surrendered and another gang member was arrested by PACER agents.

PACER officials said Villaver gang members Florante Concepcion and Joven Mercado surrendered to them after receiving death threats from the Fajardo kidnap for ransom group, the gang’s mother group.

Another Villaver gang member, Leo Vigildo, was arrested by PACER agents in Bulacan. Details of Vigildo’s arrest were not immediately available.

This developed after the killing of three Villaver gang members last Friday afternoon at the Town and Country North Executive Village in Marilao town, Bulacan by PACER agents.

"With these arrests and the killing of three other Villaver kidnap for ransom gang members, the PNP-PACER has effectively neutralized the Villaver sub-group operating under the Fajardo gang," Ebdane said.

He said the Fajardo gang is one of the top kidnap-for-ransom groups operating in Metro Manila and outlying areas that is on the PNP order of battle.

Killed in the Friday afternoon encounter with PACER agents in Marilao town were Lito Mercado, Gilbert Espina and a certain Alvin. Villaver gang leader Roland Villaver was arrested on Dec. 22, 2001.

Background information on the Villaver gang showed they were responsible for the kidnapping and killing of Connie Wong on Oct. 1, 2001. Vigildo was identified as the driver of the van used to kidnap Wong. Police files show that it was in the van, while en route to the gang’s safe house in Valenzuela City that Wong had been killed.

Other abductions on the Villaver gang’s list of crimes include the abduction of Angeles City businessman Ricardo Tan on January this year; the kidnapping of Mary Grace Rosagas on June 12, 2001 and; the kidnappings of businessman Benjamin Uy in San Juan town in 1998 and engineer Gilbert Uy in 1996.

The Villaver group was also reportedly behind several high-profile robberies in Meycauayan town, Bulacan. The gang is a splinter group of the well-armed and well-organized Fajardo kidnap for ransom gang that gained notoriety for the kidnapping of Japanese businessman Noboyuki Wakaoji at the Canlubang Golf and Country Club in Laguna in November 1986.