1 dead, 1 hurt in 'patis' factory shootout

MANILA, Philippines - A team of police from the Northern Police District-Special Weapons and Tactics (NPD-SWAT) team killed one of at least seven robbery suspects and arrested another during a shootout at a fish sauce factory in Navotas City Friday.

Chief Inspector Michael Angelo Zunega, Navotas City police investigation and operations chief, identified the slain suspect as Francisco Javier, 33, while the arrested suspect is Reynante Oliveros, 33.

“We are still verifying the true identity of the fatality for persons like them don’t usually carry genuine documents,” Zunega told The STAR.

Zunega said seven men armed with handguns and grenades barged into the Quality Patis factory compound in Barangay San Jose at around 3:30 p.m.

One of the suspects pretended to be a buyer and entered the factory premises through its main gate. After confirming that factory owner Fulgencio Luna, 76, was in the building, the suspect signaled his companions to follow, Zunega said.

The suspects went directly to Luna’s office and took P100,000 and two licensed handguns from his table drawer. They also took Luna’s bag, which contained another P50,000, his medicines and important documents. They also tried to open the safety vault but failed.

In less than five minutes, the robbers were on their way out of the factory. They encountered the local police and the NPD-SWAT unit, led by Senior Inspector Ilustre Mendoza, who were “tipped off” about the group’s plan to rob the fish sauce factory.

The suspects traded shots with the police while fleeing toward a squatters’ colony in the area. One suspect was killed and another was caught. The remaining suspects escaped with the loot.

Residents Elizabeth Manlangit, 41, and her five-year-old daughter, Jayvee, were hit by stray bullets during the shootout and were declared in stable condition at at the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital in Quezon City.

Police recovered from the slain suspect a .38 caliber revolver while Oliveros yielded a backpack containing a hand grenade, 52 .32 caliber bullets, 33 .25 caliber bullets, a magazine with five .25 caliber bullets, two .9mm bullets, a black sweatshirt, and a cellphone.

Police also seized the gunmen’s two motorcycles, a red Suzuki (WM-2546) registered to Sundy Doctor, and a red Honda Wave (NK-6603).