4 Waray-Waray members killed in Antipolo encounter

Four suspected members of the dreaded “Waray-Waray” kidnap-for-ransom group were killed yesterday in a shootout with elements of the Antipolo City and Rizal provincial police.

Superintendent Danilo Macerin, Antipolo City police chief said the slain robbers and their three companions were on their way to execute a kidnapping case when encountered by his men in Barangay San Jose at about 2:40 a.m.

Macerin identified those killed as Armando Ferrer, 36, of Lot 28, B-6, P-1, Silangan, San Mateo, Rizal; Abelardo Bausal, 33, of No. 107 Sta. Quitiria, Sangangdaan, Quezon City; Cesar De Torres,36, of NASI, Rosario, Batangas, and Marlon Abasola, 29, of No. 4 Congressional Rd, Barangay Bahay Toro, also in Quezon City.

They yielded a .45 caliber  automatic pistol, three .38 caliber revolvers, two fragmentation grenades, a license plate, Nokia cellphone, black T-shirt with PNP markings, two packaging tapes, black bag and four wallets.

Macerin said they also recovered a yellow paper containing the sketch of the groups intended target.

The Antipolo City police chief, however, refused to divulge the identify of the group’s supposed target so as not to jeopardize ongoing follow-up operations to get the three remaining members of the KFR gang.

Reports showed that elements of the Antipolo City police and the 418th Provincial Mobile Group (PMG) set up a checkpoint along the Marcos Highway in Sitio Puting Bato in Barangay Sa Luis and flagged down the suspects who were on board a red Mitsubishi Adventure with no license plate and a red motorcycle early in the morning yesterday.

Instead of stopping, the two vehicles drove on prompting Chief Inspector Agosto Daskeo, head of the police manning the checkpoint, to radio elements of the Police Community Precinct 3 (PCP3) of the Antipolo City to set up a blocking force in the counter site which is some eight kilometers away.

When they noticed the blocking force, the Mitsubishi Adventure came to a stop some 200 meters away and the suspects started firing at the policemen.

The policemen headed by Inspector Rhonnie Ariola, PCP 3 commander, returned the robbers fire.

When the smoke of the battle got cleared, the four robbers lay dead inside and outside the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle and those riding tandem on a motorcycle managed to escape.

Macerin said the Mitsubishi Adventure, owned by Mario Veliganio, of 1588 Samson Town homes in Barangay Mayamot was forcibly taken by armed men in front a fastfood chain along Sumulong Highway in Barangay Mayamot at about 2:20 a.m. last June 28.

Elements of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) recovered at least 53 pieces of spent shells in the encounter site.

The bodies and recovered evidence, including the Mitsubishi Adventure were brought to the crime laboratory of the Rizal police for autopsy and paraffin and ballistic examinations.

Meanwhile, Calabarzon director chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, who also relayed the incident to reporters said “Our men were very lucky, not one of them was killed, they were all sharp shooters.”