12-year-old boy slain in shootout with phone cable thieves

LUBAO, Pampanga — A 12-year-old boy ended up as the lone fatality when his six adult companions, believed to belong to a syndicate stealing telephone cables in various parts of Central Luzon, shot it out with security guards of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) here the other day.

Senior Inspector Amado Bais, acting Lubao police chief, said the youngster, Alexander Modeon, of Barangay Malagasang, Imus, Cavite, died from a bullet wound in the neck.

One of his companions, Cesar Ramirez, sustained a gunshot wound in the hand.

Bais said the suspects had cut some 50 meters of phone cables from electric posts in Barangay Lourdes when they encountered the security guards of a nearby PLDT branch. He said the cables can be sold for P60,000 per meter.

"The suspects were apparently unaware the cables were linked to a security system at the PLDT branch where the security personnel were alerted," Bais said.

PLDT security guards Rommel Damsey and Danilo Pabillon told probers the suspects immediately boarded their jeepney upon seeing them and sped off. They, however, gave chase aboard a motorcycle.

The security guards said one of the suspects fired at them during the chase, prompting them to fire back, apparently hitting the young Modeon and Ramirez.

The gunfire alerted lawmen who succeeded in blocking the suspects’ getaway vehicle. The police then rushed Modeon and Ramirez to a nearby hospital where the boy reportedly died.

The suspects are now detained at the municipal jail. Police are preparing the charges against them.

The others were identified as Joel Alonzo, 18; Felicisima Modeon, 31, a relative of the slain youngster; Rosano Do-nayre, 21; and Jonel Bibal, 18. The last suspect is a 17-year-old boy. — With Ric Sapnu