Filtered By: Topstories
News

Board member, 6 others die in Laguna, Quezon shootouts


(Update) MANILA, Philippines – A provincial official in Laguna and six others were killed in two shootouts that happened less than four hours apart Wednesday night in San Pablo City and neighboring Tiaong town in Quezon, police said Thursday. In a text message on Thursday, Laguna provincial police director Senior Superintendent Manolito Labador said provincial board member Danny Yang was attending a fiesta (feast) celebration at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in Barangay Bautista when five armed men fired on his group. Yang was taken to a nearby local hospital but was declared dead on arrival. Also killed in the attack were former Bautista village chief Manolo Barcenas and Brando de los Santos. Barcenas died while undergoing treatment at hospital and De los Santos was also declared on arrival in the same hospital. Two others — Jovy Lopez and Marc Edward Herrera — were wounded in the shootout but were in stable condition, said Labador. One of the suspects was killed when Yang’s driver, Rommel Vertibo, traded shots with the gunmen. Another suspect was wounded, but he managed to escape along with three other suspects, police said. Assassination Labador did not indicate any possible motive for Yang’s killing and the shooting incident, but National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said it could have something to do with the victim's anti-communist activities. Two weeks ago, Army intelligence warned Yang of possible attempts on his life by New People's Army (NPA) rebels, Gonzales said. “Yang had been in the Communist Party of the Philippines’ and the NPA ‘Order of Battle’ since 2004 because of his vital position in the party and its efforts to educate communities on the true character and modus operandi of the communist group," he said in a statement. Gonzales said Yang’s death was a “great loss not only to the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP) but also to this (anti-communist) cause." The victim was Laguna's second highest official of PDSP, a party organized by Gonzales long before he was named national security adviser. Yang was a PDSP community organizer and political officer since his youth. He rose to become a councilor of San Pablo City before he was elected as provincial board member of Laguna in 2007. Tiaong In nearby Tiaong, three suspected robbers were shot dead following a predawn encounter with police before dawn Thursday. Radio dzXL said the incident occurred at 1 a.m. in the village of Bughao, when police accosted the trio for acting suspiciously. One of the suspects allegedly drew a handgun and fired at the policemen, prompting the officers to fire back. The still unidentified fatalities bore "Sputnik Gang" tattoos, indicating they had spent time in jail before, the report quoted police as saying. Police said they have recovered firearms from the suspects. - with Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV
LOADING CONTENT