Ex-Batangas councilor denies heading gun-for-hire group

MANILA, Philippines - A former councilor of Nasugbu, Batangas yesterday surfaced to deny an allegation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that she headed a gun-for-hire ring in the province and was involved in political killings.

Speaking to reporters in Pasay City, Guillerma Limboc denied that she owns the property in Calaca, Batangas which NBI agents raided last Jan. 15 on suspicion that it was being used as a “killing field.”

“I don’t have any idea about those gun-for-hire and political killings,” said Limboc in Filipino. She ran but lost in her bid to become mayor of Nasugbu town in the last elections.

Last Jan. 15, NBI agents, armed with a search warrant issued by Malabon Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Carlos Flores, swooped down on the property in Barangay Lumbang na Bata, Calaca town and on Limboc’s houses in Barangay Papaya, Nasugbu.

During the raids, the NBI said four suspected members of the gun-for-hire ring were arrested in Calaca while two barangay councilors were nabbed in Nasugbu.

In Calaca, the NBI agents, supported by Air Force personnel, barged into the house of a certain Gerardo Paglinawan and arrested his brother, Wilfredo, a Calaca rookie policeman; a certain Mark Ruedas; and two other men.

Paglinawan, who was the subject of the search warrant, managed to escape during the raid.

NBI-Batangas agent Jun Japlit said the suspects opened fire at the raiding team, triggering a brief gun battle. No one was reported hurt in the incident.

Authorities recovered an Armalite rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, a shotgun, a grenade, and suspected shabu from the suspects.

Supposedly arrested in the Nasugbu raids, according to earlier reports, were councilors Jie Perno and Etok Limboc who allegedly yielded a shotgun and a .22-caliber pistol, respectively.

The NBI raiding team also swooped down on the house of former councilor Limboc, councilors Rene Rabasio, and Carpo Gonzales but found no firearms or illegal drugs.

Limboc said she does not know the people arrested in the Calaca raid and that there was no mass grave found at the property, as reported by the local police.

Limboc also denied the NBI claim that her brother Etok and Perno were arrested in the Nasugbu raid. Limboc presented the two to reporters yesterday.

“They were not there during the raid. Also, no guns were taken from them,” she said.

Limboc, however, said two of those arrested in the Nasugbu raid were her nephews, Marlon and Melvin Limboc, both sons of Etok Limboc.

Also arrested by the NBI were Joseph Ferraer, Gregorio de la Fuente, Fernan Digno, and Arnulfo Canonio.

Limboc said the six are still detained by the NBI, and her lawyer, Virgilio Leynes, said they could not post bail yet for the six as the Department of Justice has not yet issued a resolution on their case.

Leynes said that as such, they filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus before the Court of Appeals on Thursday.

“The NBI has to produce them. If no other charges will be filed against them, they should be released,” Leynes said.

Leynes also questioned why the NBI secured the search warrant used in the raids from the Malabon RTC when under the rules, it should have been secured from a court in Batangas or from another court in Southern Tagalog which is covered by the judicial region.

“If the NBI will not release them, we will be filing a complaint of illegal detention against them,” said Leynes.

Limboc said the NBI had been misled by false information, which could have been given by her youngest brother, Rico, who has had differences with their family.

Limboc alleged that it was Rico who have had dealings with those arrested in Calaca and was using the NBI to discredit her after she supported a Batangas congressional candidate in the last elections.

“I hope the DOJ and NBI would listen to me. They were made to believe something false. My rivals in politics are now gladdened about this,” she said in Filipino.