Cops hunt down remaining members of kidnap gang

Police are now hunting down cohorts of the five suspected members of the Waray-Waray kidnapping-for-ransom group killed in an encounter with lawmen in Caloocan City last Monday.

"There are still more suspects," said Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil said during a briefing yesterday.

Bataoil also said the third slain suspect was identified as Antonio Andaya. Two of the suspects were earlier identified as Ronnie Alcabal and Niño Canonizado.

"The message have been delivered that the PNP, the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and all other agencies under the NACTAF will deliver the biggest blow against this kidnap-for-ransom syndicate," he said.

Sources said operatives of Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) have identified people linked to the Waray-Waray-Ilonggo group.

The suspected kidnappers were killed when they shot it out with operatives of PACER conducting follow-up operations on the abduction of a businessman Willie Chua.

Chua was abducted by seven armed men last Oct. 7. Witnesses said the kidnappers were on board a silver Mitsubishi L-300 van and a silver Toyota Corolla when they snatched Chua.

Upon learning of the kidnapping, PACER teams, led by Superintendents Ronald Oliver Lee and Allan Nobleza conducted surveillance operations, which eventually led to the kidnappers’ lair in Urduja, Caloocan City.

As police officers was about to close in on the kidnappers, the suspects opened fire, triggering a shootout that lasted for several minutes.

When the smoke cleared, five of the kidnappers were dead, but police said several others managed to escape.