1 killed in Bulacan raid

MALOLOS CITY , Philippines  – A caretaker was killed in a raid by combined police elements at the house of the head of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) in San Miguel town early yesterday morning.

The victim was identified as Ronald de la Cruz, a caretaker in the house of Gener Lopez, the chairman of Barangay Labne, and president of the Association of Barangay Captains in the said town.

Police claimed that De la Cruz was killed in a shootout, when he fired at the lawmen approaching the Lopez house around 3 a.m. yesterday.

He suffered a gunshot wound on the face and was declared dead on arrival at a government hospital in nearby Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija.

“May bahid ng pulitika ito,” Lopez told Bulacan reporters.

He said that police officers raided five other houses in his village based on a search warrant issued by a certain Judge Ramon Pamolar of the Regional Trial Court Branch 32 based in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.

Police said they were looking for an arms cache under Lopez’s custody, but were only able to retieve a .22 caliber revolver from Felipe Capinlac, the head of barangay tanods in Barangay Labne, and an M-16 rifle from De la Cruz.          – Dino Balabo