Quezon City cops warn parents to monitor their kids: May be tapped by crime groups as 'runners'

MANILA, Philippines - Police officials have called on parents in a village in Quezon City to monitor their children, following reports that teenagers have been tapped by a criminal group whose members were killed in a gunbattle with authorities recently and who could be going after minors they had used as “runners.”

Senior Superintendent Audie Arroyo, deputy director for operations of the Quezon City Police District, also said they would like to find out if other children in Payatas area have been utilized by the same criminal group that had allegedly killed three teenagers residing in the village.

During a press conference yesterday, Arroyo admitted that it was possible that there were other teenagers in the area who may have been tapped by the group as “runners” and it could be that the remaining members of the group are on a move to get rid of these remaining teenagers who know about the gang’s criminal activities. “We conducted a dialogue last Friday in the area and we told the parents that once they see, or if they had noticed anything suspicious about the actuations of their children, they should report to us,” Arroyo said.

According to Arroyo, “intelligence operation” is ongoing to look for the other members of the said criminal group. Two remaining members – Ador Siguin and an alias Benjie – have been charged with multiple murder over the weekend for the killing of Efren Cabacungan, 15, Albino Crisostomo, 15, and Vincent Mahilon, 14. Cabacungan was found dead with gunshot wounds on Thursday morning while the bodies of Mahilon and Crisostomo were found with stab wounds on Friday morning. Their bodies were all found along Motorolla Street in Barangay Commonwealth .

Cabacungan’s mother told the police that the boy was with Mahilon and Crisostomo and left their homes on Wednesday night and had gone missing since then.

QCPD-Station 6 commander Superintendent Crisostomo Mendoza identified the two suspects who are facing multiple murder charges based on statements of a police informant who tagged them to be in the same group as the ones who were killed in a gunbattle with QCPD-Station 6 operatives along a tunnel on Commonwealth Avenue on Friday morning.

One of the three slain suspects, a certain Andrew, was tagged by a witness as among those he had seen loading the bloodied and seemingly lifeless body of Cabacungan onto a tricycle in the area before the victim’s body was found dumped.

Policemen went around areas that Andrew had frequented and saw him along San Mateo Road near corner IBP Road at around 1 a.m. on Friday. However, as police were approaching, Andrew and his two companions immediately boarded a red Isuzu Crosswind (XLE-532) and sped off. This led to a chase and upon reaching a tunnel bound for Commonwealth Avenue, two of the suspects opened fire, prompting policemen to retaliate, resulting in the suspects’ death.