2 Laguna cops shot dead

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna — Two Laguna cops were shot dead in separate incidents while conducting their tour of duties in the towns of San Pedro and Biñan last Monday, police said yesterday.

Chief Superintendent Jesus Versoza, Region 4-A police chief, identified the victims as Police Officer Necias Malagum, assigned at the Mobile Patrol Unit of San Pedro PNP, and SPO2 Miguel Mendoza, 51, of Biñan police station.

Versoza said Malagum was shot after responding to a call that a businessman who was about to make a cash deposit was robbed in front of a Bank of Philippine Island (BPI) branch in Barangay Nueva at around 1:15 pm.

Malagum was shot when he reportedly tried to block the path of the robbers aboard a southbound passenger jeepney, with license number DPA-861, along the national highway.

The suspects, who were all armed with caliber .45 pistol, alighted from the jeepe, forcibly took another vehicle with license plate DPA-861 from driver Antemio Fuenzalida and fled towards Manila.

Malagum was pronounced dead on arrival at the San Pedro Doctors Hospital. He succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in the body.

Meanwhile, SPO2 Mendoza was doing a routine foot patrol at J. Gonzales st. Barangay Poblacion in Biñan when two armed men shot him with a caliber .38 pistol at around 4:30 am.

Witnesses said one of the two unidentified suspects was seen wearing a white T-shirt and denim pants, was fair complexioned and with short hair. The other suspect was described as long haired, and wearing a baseball cap, black jacket and denim pants. — With Ed Amoroso