Fight over loot led to December 5 shootout - PNP

The firefight that left 12 alleged gang members and four civilians dead in Parañaque City last Dec. 5 was triggered by a gang man who was discontented over his small share of the millions of pesos they take away from each heist, police said yesterday.

Highway Patrol Group (HPG) director Chief Superintendent Perfecto Palad said the gang member was angry at the gang’s alleged leader, Alvin Flores, whom he suspected of pocketing a large part of the loot.

The gang member’s claim was corroborated by Rolando Malnis, alias Kalag, one of the eight key players in the aborted car rental robbery in Parañaque City, who was arrested by the Manila Police District (MPD) in Bacoor, Cavite, a day after the firefight.

Malnis told MPD director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales that he received P15,000 to P50,000 for each successful heist.

“Flores took a big part of the loot as reimbursement of their expenses while undergoing surveillance of intended targets, and as rent for vehicles and firearms they used during their robbery operation,” Rosales told The STAR.

Though Malnis admitted that their share is very low, he said he was satisfied with his share of the loot.

Palad said the discontented gang member showed up before Superintendent Eleuterio Gutierrez, head of the HPG’s Task Force Limbas, to tell them about the gang’s plan to rob a car rental firm of its P7 million earnings.

Palad said he coordinated with Metro Manila police chief Director Leopoldo Bataoil, Special Action Force (SAF) director Chief Superintendent Leocadio Santiago, and Southern Police District (SPD) director Senior Superintendent Jaime Calungsud to set up a plan to neutralize the gang.

According to Palad, they conducted a five-day surveillance of the gang until their “source” reported that Flores gave the green light for the hit on Dec. 5.

The HPG, SAF and SPD deployed at least 11 police teams on Sampaguita street in United Parañaque Subdivision 4 (UPS4) hours before the gang was set to strike at 8 p.m.

Malnis told Rosales that Flores radioed them to leave when they heard gunshots in the other side of the street. They escaped on board their Toyota Revo upon seeing Flores leaving the area in haste on board a red Toyota Nissan, the suspect said.

Palad insisted it was the gang members who fired at will after realizing the presence of policemen in the area. “After the robbers fired the initial salvo, all hell broke loose. Gutierrez was hit in the head and another SAF member went down,” said Palad.

The SAF member, PO1 Nixon Visanoy, was killed while Gutierrez remains confined at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR), National Police Commission (Napolcom) and Philippine National Police (PNP) are conducting parallel investigations to determine who fired the bullets that felled the four civilians.

Palad said their “source” was among those who survived the firefight but he is now in hiding, not from policemen but from his comrades, who learned about his “being our source.” He added that they are also searching for the gang man to ensure his safety and to convince him to turn state witness against his former comrades.

The PNP has offered a P1.3 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the remaining gang members.

Flores and other surviving players in the Parañaque firefight were charged with attempted robbery with multiple homicide before the city’s prosecutors office last week. The prosecutor recommended no bail be granted them.

Rosales also filed illegal possession of firearms charges against Malnis and his companions before the Bacoor prosecutor’s office.

Father, daughter laid to rest

Two of the civilians who died in the Dec. 5 shootout were laid to rest yesterday at a public cemetery in Bayambang, Pangasinan province.

Hundreds of relatives and friends of marine engineer Alfonso de Vera, 51, and his daughter, Lia Allana, 7, gathered as the two were laid to rest.

Bataoil, also attended the Mass for the father and daughter at the Catholic church in nearby Basista town.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa has instructed Bataoil to form an after-encounter assessment committee to conduct a complete background investigation of the slain suspects and to identify others who were able to elude arrest.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) spokesman Senior Superintendent Rommel Miranda said investigators are trying to determine who among the policemen shot and killed the De Veras and Ronald Eusebio during the firefight.

Police said the De Veras’ vehicle was mistaken by policemen to be one of the cars used by the suspects while Eusebio was shot after suspect Charlito Azarcon hitched a ride on his motorcycle and at gunpoint ordered him to get away from the scene of the shootout.

Verzosa said the findings of the committee will form part of intelligence inputs for succeeding operations against organized crime groups.

“With the amount of firepower and logistics recovered from the slain suspects, we can say that this particular group is well-organized, and part of the tasks of the NCRPO committee is to establish the sources of these instruments of crime,” he said.

Police recovered two M203 grenade launchers, four M16 assault rifles, two .45 caliber pistols, a fragmentation grenade, a bolt cutter, a sledgehammer, handheld radios and two Toyota Revos at the scene of the encounter. – Cesar Ramirez, Cecille Suerte Felipe