Rob group leader's kin claims body

Relatives of the former military man suspected to be the leader of a robbery group who was killed in an encounter with policemen Tuesday morning in Quezon City appeared yesterday to claim his remains. Both his estranged wife and brother, also a former member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said they were unaware that Ferdinand Singun was engaged in any criminal activity.

“What I know is that he was working as a family driver,” the wife, who requested not to be named, told reporters in Tagalog when they went to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of the Quezon City Police District at noon yesterday.

Singun, who was a former member of the Philippine Army, shot it out while his companion Joel Malavega surrendered to combined forces of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the QCPD, and the Cainta Police after the group sought refuge and hid in the houses in a slum area in Barangay Batasan Hills.

Their two other companions were able to escape at the height of the gunbattle.

Prior to the shootout, policemen tailed the suspects, who were on board a Toyota Innova, after they were spotted near Sta. Lucia Mall in Cainta, Rizal.

The police said Malavega had admitted that their group was monitoring establishment in the area that they were targeting before the encounter.

According to Singun’s wife, the last time he saw her husband was in November. She said they had long been separated even prior to this.

The brother and the wife said it was only through television reports aired Tuesday night and text messages they received that they found out what had happened to Singun.

Commendation

Metro police chief Director Leopoldo Bataoil commended yesterday elements of the Quezon City Police District for killing a member of a robbery gang during a running gunbattle on Tuesday without endangering the lives of civilians.

Bataoil made special mention of PO2 Jerry Romero, who was wounded in the firefight after holding his fire while the suspects mixed themselves with the crowd to evade arrest. “Romero was shot in the left shoulder by one of the suspects in fatigue uniform,” said Bataoil. “Naunahan siya (Romero) kasi hindi siya makapagpaputok dahil may babae sa tabi ng suspect.”

Bataoil recommended to Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa the awarding of medal to Romero.

When the smoke of the battle cleared, one of the suspects was, identified through his Army identification card as Technical Sergeant Ferdinand Singun.

The suspects, on board a black Toyota Innova (ZFK 288) engaged policemen in a running gunbattle from Marikina City to Cainta, which ended in Batasan Hills in Quezon City.

“I personally commended our boys and the people in the area (Batasan Hills) for helping pinpoint the suspects who changed clothes when cornered,” said Bataoil in his report to Verzosa.    – With Non Alquitran