CCPO Chief believes wanted man still in the area "Followers" aided escape

CEBU, Philippines -Cebu City Police Office Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe believes that Central Visayas’ most wanted, Rodrigo Labitad, escaped police operations on Tuesday because his avid “followers” helped him.

 This was after Labitad escaped from elements of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) who shot and chased him in the mountain barangay of Pamutan, Cebu City on Tuesday afternoon.

 “He has followers in the mountain barangay,” Buenafe said said.

 The city police director is certain that if not for some “followers” or accomplices, Labitad could not have escaped after the police surrounded the area. “Naa siya’y mga protector or mga parente sa area mao nga nakatakas siya,” he said.

 They also received reports that Labitad organized a group in the area. Though Labitad’s escape elicited criticism on the authorities’ failure to arrest him, Buenafe insisted that the suspect is still near the area after he was seriously wounded by PO2 Crisostomo Bayato with his M4 Armalite. 

 “Base sa mga dugo nga nakit-an sa lugar kuyaw to ang iyang kahimtang ug wala gyud to siya naka-layo sa lugar,” he said.

 Buenafe said they also could not recover the P300,000 bounty yet without Labitad’s body as proof. “Substantiated by evidence before ma-claim ang reward,” he said. 

 Last Tuesday’s operation was the fourth against Labitad who was tagged responsible for killing three of his neighbors in Talisay City in the late 1990s.

 Aside from IDMB, the National Bureau of Investigation has also been searching for him for years. 

 The police recovered from the area three hand grenades, a carbine rifle, a black bonnet, and several talismans locally known as “habak” which were placed inside a black bag. 

 Investigators said that they started monitoring Labitad on Monday after they received reports of his presence in the area.

 When the police tried to apprehended him at around 12:00 noon, while Labitad was washing fresh gingers, he reportedly grabbed his carbine near him and fired at the policemen.He successfully evaded arrest by running toward the thick wooded area on the mountainside. As of yesterday afternoon, Buenafe said they have not spotted Labitad yet since the encounter. — (FREEMAN)