Reds who killed 4 lawmen hunted down

Police are tracking down at least 10 suspected communist guerrillas who were behind Thursday’s fatal ambush of four members of the Traffic Management Group (TMG) in Lucena City, Quezon.

Chief Superintendent Danilo Mangila, TMG director, ordered Superintendent Rodrigo Agojo, chief of Task Force Limbas, to conduct the manhunt.

Mangila and Agojo personally went to Lucena City yesterday to supervise the investigation into the killing of SPO3 Victor Escultura, SPO2 Ruben Seguit, PO3 Arnulfo Melegrito and PO2 Roderick Javelosa.

A fifth TMG member, PO2 Francon Valiente, managed to escape because he was riding in an unregistered motorcycle which they had recovered in an operation.

Police said the TMG team was on routine patrol when they were fired upon. The NPA guerrillas fled with the policemen’s M-16 rifle, 12-gauge shotgun, caliber .45 pistol, caliber .38 revolver and cellular phones.

Meanwhile, the military reported that a suspected rebel leader accused of involvement in the ambush-slaying of Brig. Gen. Josefino Manayao, who headed the Army’s 502nd Infantry Brigade, and 12 of his men in Isabela three yeas ago, was captured last Wednesday.

A military source said the alleged rebel leader, Lourdes Mabanag, has refused to talk during interrogation. — Christina Mendez