5 slain hijackers’ identities still unknown

The real identities of the five suspected hijackers killed in an encounter with policemen at dawn Saturday in Valenzuela City have yet to be established.

Senior Inspector Carlos Mendez of the Northern Police District Crime Laboratory said yesterday that they were still working on identifying the fatalities, whose bodies were brought to the Valenzuela Funeral Homes.

"No names yet, we are still working for their identification," Mendez told The STAR.

Three of the slain alleged hijackers were identified only as alias Boy Pasig, a former Marine trooper and tagged by policemen as the group’s leader; a certain Martin; and one Wit-wit.

Superintendent Rafael Santiago, chief of the Northern Police District (NPD) District Intelligence and Investigation Division, said the slain hijackers were the remaining members of the recently busted Diario kidnap-for-ransom group.

Bryan Diario, the leader of the group, and his two henchmen were also killed in another encounter with Santiago’s men last March 2 when NPD policemen rescued kidnapped businessman Eric Tan in Caloocan City.

"This is a quintessential criminal group for they engaged in almost all forms of high-profile criminal activities," NPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Tango said.

According to detective William Lipata of the Camp Crame Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), his unit was also pursuing Pasig’s gang for their involvement in a string of criminal activities.

Santiago said Pasig formed his own gang when Diario was killed and he struck in Valenzuela to raise money for the families of their fallen members.

At around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, an Isuzu cargo truck loaded with 670 bags of plastic resin was hijacked by at least eight unidentified armed men.

Arnel Borela, 27, the truck driver, said each bag of the plastic resin is worth P2,000.

The armed men brought the truck to Canumay Trading at T. Santiago street in Barangay Canumay, where they encountered the police who were conducting discreet surveillance operation of their illegal activities.

All five suspects onboard a blue Toyota Tamaraw FX van were killed.

Police recovered from the slain suspects two grenades, three .38 caliber revolvers and a .45 caliber pistol and bullets.

Another suspect, Virgilio Alberca, 25, who was arrested inside the Canumay Trading warehouse, confirmed that the slain suspects were into bank robbery and kidnapping.

Three Chinese nationals – Lino Tiu, 40; Chen Jiazhang alias Tan Catiu, 44; and Wilson Chang, 25 – who were supposed to buy the stolen cargo were also arrested.

Alberca and the three Chinese nationals will be charged with violating the anti-fencing law before the Valenzuela City prosecutor’s office today.

The hijacked truck with its cargo was recovered intact. — Pete Laude, Jerry Botial