2 Bundol Gang members arrested

MANILA, Philippines - Two members of the Bundol Gang, which preys on foreigners and Filipinos arriving from abroad, were arrested yesterday after a brief car chase that ended when their stolen vehicle slammed into an electrical post in Parañaque City.

Felimon Borillo, 29, and Jeffrey Martinez, 25, did not put up a fight when they were cornered by pursuing lawmen along the East Service Road in Barangay Marcelo Green at about 7:40 a.m. Four other suspects were able to escape.

The gang’s name is derived from their modus operandi, in which they bump (bundol) their victim’s vehicle then rob the vehicle’s occupants once they stop to look at the damage from the collision.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said they recovered two 12-gauge shotguns inside a white Montero Sports (NSI-671) the gang had taken from the parents of their latest victim, Krizia San Diego.

Bartolome said the suspects were about to hijack a truck loaded with television sets when they were intercepted.

“We are hot on the trail of the other members of the Bundol Gang. We are hoping to get them to stop once and for all their illegal activities victimizing returning overseas Filipino workers and tourists,” Bartolome said in an interview.

The NCRPO chief said at least three of the gang’s victims surfaced at the Parañaque City police headquarters and identified Borillo and Martinez as among the armed men who robbed them.

He said his men were also checking whether Borillo and Martinez robbed and shot the brother-in-law of former presidential daughter Luli Arroyo in Pasig City months back.

Bartolome said San Diego’s parents own the recovered vehicle.

The elderly couple fetched from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Krizia, who arrived from the United States Friday last week.

The carjackers, in a black Toyota Fortuner (ZFV-397), rear-ended the Montero in Barangay Ugong Norte. Witnesses said the robbers dragged San Diego into their car while another gang member took over the wheel of the Montero.

San Diego was dumped along Pedro Gil street in Manila while her parents were left behind by the suspects in Parañaque City.

Police said the suspects divested their victims of around P50,000 and jewelry, laptops and other valuables.

Right after the San Diego robbery, Bartolome arranged a series of workshops for all anti-carjacking units of the NCRPO and the HPG for them to have a uniform approach in going after the Bundol Gang.

An NCRPO patrol car was cruising along the East Service Road yesterday when it chanced upon the San Diego vehicle, whose driver stepped on the gas after noticing the police car.

The policemen in the patrol car gave chase. The San Diego vehicle came to a sudden stop some 100 meters away and its occupants fled in different directions, said Bartolome.

Initially, the Parañaque City police officers were not aware that Borillo and Martinez were Bundol Gang members. It was during tactical interrogation that the two men admitted being gang members. The local police started calling up their victims from Tanza, Cavite and Muntinlupa City, who all identified the suspects.

Bartolome rushed to the Parañaque City police headquarters to personally supervise the investigation of Borillo and Martinez.

As of press time, Bartolome said Borillo and Martinez are still undergoing questioning by police investigators. – With Mike Frialde, Aie Balagtas See