8 ex-military men arrested in Pasig raid

At least 100 elements of the National Capital Region Police Office’s (NCRPO) elite fighting force, backed up by an armored personnel carrier (APC) and a helicopter gunship, raided an abandoned compound in Pasig City yesterday and arrested eight former military personnel who fought off eviction orders.

As of 7 p.m. last night, NCRPO chief Director Ricardo de Leon declared the raid over after the eight suspects were accounted for two M-16 Armalite rifles and a caliber .22 recovered by the police.

"We can say that our operation is successful because not a single shot was fired and no casualty was reported," De Leon told The STAR.

According to De Leon, the trouble at the abandoned Kilter Realty Compound in Brgy. Manggahan in Pasig City started on Saturday when the former military men shot and wounded security guard Joseph Resotas in the leg.

Because of the incident, the securty guards temporarily called off their operations but resumed it yesterday with the help of the Pasig City police.

The security guards were, however, met with heavy gunfire, prompting them to call De Leon and Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela, director of the Eastern Police District (EPD), who both rushed to the area to direct the operations.

De Leon called for reinforcements from the PNP’s Special Action Force (SAF), Regional Special Action Unit (RSAU) and the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) of the four police stations comprising the EPD. He also tapped the services of an APC and a helicopter gunship because the ex-military personnel were armed with high-powered firearms.

De Leon had the place surrounded and the operations commenced before sunset with a platoon of SAF operatives followed by 30 RSAU and SWAT agents storming the area. The NCRPO chief said the suspects surrendered to the authorities after realizing they were outnumbered. —  Non Alquitran