NBI probes death of 6 ‘hired guns’ in Laguna shootout

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is looking into the death of six suspected guns-for-hire in an alleged shootout with policemen in Laguna recently.

A source at the NBI-Death Investigation Division (DID) said the families of the suspects came to the NBI headquarters in Manila on Wednesday to seek help.

“The family members said the six persons killed were not guns-for-hire,” the NBI source said.

Copies of the reports of the Calamba City police and Philippine National Police Regional Crime Laboratory Office 4A showed that the suspects suffered five to 12 gunshot wounds in the head and body.

NBI-DID investigators said the suspects should have not suffered so much gunshot wounds, particularly in the head, if there was indeed a shootout.

The suspects were identified as Nestor Pera Banog Jr., 27, the alleged leader of the gang; Alwin Magbujos Baldeo, Romeo Leviste Sagun,  David Mark Sanding Basa, Jose Sonny Bruel Mendoza and Jeremie Enguerra Salcedo.

Five of the suspects were killed on the spot while Mendoza was declared dead on arrival at the JP Hospital in Barangay Real.

At least three caliber .45 pistols, a 9mm pistol, a baby Armalite, sketches of the group’s alleged targets, a bull cap with the letters ”NBI” and a brown Toyota Innova (TDI-214) were recovered from the suspects.

Senior Superintendent Fausto Manzanilla, Laguna police director, said the  group is also believed to be behind the killing of police officer Romeo Creste in Cabuyao town three weeks ago.

The group, dubbed as the Laguna-Batangas connection, is under the Laguna police watchlist. Police said they are guns-for-hire and involved in robbery, carjacking, hijacking and assassination of police officers and politicians.

The suspects had just come out of their hideout in Barangay San Juan in Batangas when they encountered the policemen at around 8:30 a.m. last month.

Members of the Regional Special Operation Group-4A were dispatched to conduct a dragnet operation against the suspects after receiving a tip from undercover agents.

Police said the suspects opened fire, triggering a 15-minute gunfight, when police operatives flagged down their vehicle.