Despite "BEHING HIT" Wanted man escapes

CEBU, Philippines - A man who is in the police list of the most wanted persons in Central Visayas escaped from the operatives of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) in an encounter at the mountain barangay of Pamutan, Cebu City yesterday afternoon.

This was the fourth operation the operatives made against Rodrigo Labitad, accused of killing his three neighbors in Talisay City in the late 1990’s.

He had a P300,000 bounty on his head. He was also under surveillance by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, National Bureau of Investigation and the IDMB.

Labitad was reportedly hit by PO2 Crisostomo Bayato with his M4 Armalite. The police could not determine, though, what part of his body the suspect was hit because they only made the conclusions based on the blood stains they found at the place.

Operatives recovered a black bag containing three hand grenades, a carvine rifle with bullets, black bonnet, several talisman locally known as “habak” and a white kamiseta with what seemed to be Latin words written on it.

 Chief Insp. Bonifacio Garciano, chief of the IDMB, said his men were in Barangay Pamutan since Monday evening after PO2 Crisostomo Bayato received information on Labitad’s presence at his house.

The team headed by SPO3 Rene Cerna waited until 12:00 noon yesterday. They sighted Labitad washing his fresh-uprooted gingers. Operatives then rushed and shot Labitad who was about to grab his carvine rifle near him.

“Kung wa to pusila makapabuto man gyud to siya (Labitad),” Garciano said.

Labitad escaped by making his way through the woods in a sloppy portion of the mountain.

“Suheto man gud siya sa terrain sa lugar unya lisod ang dan wa gyud maapsi,” Garciano said.

Another team headed by SPO2 Michael Erne was sent yesterday to check all nearby clinics and hospitals for the possibly presence of Labitad. – (FREEMAN)