Cop killers caught

Two primary suspects in the killing of a Makati policeman are now in the custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP), which promised "to see to it that swift justice is rendered to match the slain officer’s heroism."

PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane presented to media yesterday Reynante Salvacion Vega, 25, and Emerito Lague, 33, both natives of Misamis Occidental.

The two men were apprehended the other day in an operation in Misamis Occidental on the basis of arrest warrants for several counts of robbery and the killing of PO2 Aristotle Tacata.

Ebdane said that the arrest was made by members of the Regional Intelligence Special Operations Office of the National Capital Region Police Office, led by Senior Superintendent Van Luspo.

Both suspects, members of the Resto Gang, were arrested last year in San Juan but were able to jump bail.

Members of the gang became the subject of a massive manhunt after a robbery in a mini-mart in Makati City. Last March 12, five Resto Gang members entered the LPC Mini-mart along Kalayaan Avenue, Barangay Pitogo, Makati City and announced a holdup.

Tacata, who was inside buying groceries, shot it out with the suspects and managed to kill two of them. However, Tacata was also shot several times and died while being treated at a hospital.

He was awarded for heroism in the line of duty and was given a posthumous promotion to the next rank.

"Today, PO2 Tacata’s family has every reason to be happy with the arrest of the two suspects and I will see to it that swift justice be rendered if only to match his heroism and death while in the line of duty," Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco said. "This is also our birthday gift to President Arroyo who personally visited Tacata’s wake last March 13 and ordered the arrest of his killers."

The two slain suspects in the robbery were identified as Gino Mahinay and Antonio Valerio. Initially, three other suspects were identified by the Makati police based on the testimony of the witnesses in the Tacata case.

Vega was one of the three suspects along with a certain Dexter Saren and Jay Canlas.

Lague and two Resto Gang members were not identified by the witnesses.

Velasco said that they were able to get the information about the whereabouts of Lague and Vega through a Magic Eye caller.

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay commended the PNP for the arrest of the two suspects.

Binay said he is optimistic the arrest of the two suspects puts an end to the spate of convenience store and restaurant robberies in Makati City, which he said could have been perpetrated by one group.

Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office also reported the arrest of a 22-year-old Fujian, China native for selling the prohibited drug Ecstasy in Quezon City the other day.

Velasco identified the suspect as Anthony Keng Lato, temporarily residing at Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Lato was arrested in an entrapment operation involving the sale of 191 tablets of methylenedioxy methamphetamine or Ecstasy.

The value of the drugs was estimated at P750,000, around P1,500 per tablet.

Ecstasy was recently included in the list of Dangerous Drugs by virtue of Republic Act 9165.