3 men nabbed for gun possession

MANILA, Philippines - Police are gathering evidence linking three suspected guns for-hire who were arrested for firearms and deadly weapons possession as behind the failed ambush try on a controversial police official and the series of killings in Quezon City.

Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales urged witnesses in the failed ambush of Superintendent Napoleon Cauyan and other killings to surface so additional charges would be filed against the suspects, Alberto Larga, Salvador Guardami, and Omel Cuyos.

Rosales said they are also investigating reports that Larga, Guardami and Cuyos are members of the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) breakaway group.

The ABB is behind the series of assassinations of military and police officials, whom they accused of having a blood debt against the people, decades back. “We are still in the process of gathering evidence against them. So we call upon the witnesses in several killings in Quezon City to surface and identify them so they would rot in jail,” Rosales told The Star.

The suspects were creating trouble in Himlayan Road in Barangay Pasong Tamo, Quezon City when arrested by joint elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of the Quezon City Police District and the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) at about 6:30 p.m. on April 13.

Superintendent Maristelo Manalo, head of the raiding team, said Larga yielded a .45 caliber automatic pistol, a .38 Guardami caliber revolver and Cuyos a fan knife.

While under police custody, a witness claimed that the three suspects were seen at the back of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) building when Cauyan was ambushed on March 10.

Rosales admitted that they cannot pin down Larga, Guardami and Cuyos in Cauyan’s failed ambush because of lack of credible witnesses. “We also received reports that they are behind several killings in Quezon City and we are validating these,” Rosales said.

The Quezon City police filed illegal possession of firearms against Larga and Guardami while illegal possession of a deadly weapon was likewise filed against Cuyos before the city prosecutor’s office.