(Update) 4 killed in Batangas firefights

MANILA, Philippines - Four suspected members of a criminal gang were killed in a series of operations in Batangas province from Wednesday evening to early Thursday. Tanauan City police officer-in-charge Superintendent Willy Atun on early Thursday refused to confirm if the operations were related to last week's bloody bank heist in Laguna province. "Di namin masabi (I cannot say) this is connected (to RCBC). This is an aftermath of the armed encounter with criminal gang where one of our policemen was wounded," Atun said in an interview on dwIZ radio. But he confirmed that the Batangas police is part of Task Force RCBC, created shortly after armed men killed 10 persons in a heist at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Cabuyao branch in Laguna province. The fatalities were believed members of the Lucido Javier Gang, which was linked to a series of robberies in the Southern Luzon region. Earlier reports indicated the encounter started late Wednesday. Radio dzBB reported that a member of the gang was killed and a policeman was wounded in Wednesday's encounter. In the first encounter, dzBB said Calabarzon regional director Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla identified the fatality as Pepito Magsino. Wounded in the first encounter was one SPO1 Bernabe Salazar, who reportedly remained in critical condition at a Batangas hospital as of Thursday morning. Atun said the second encounter took place in Pagaspas village in Tanauan City at 12:40 a.m. Thursday. He said the predawn incident was a follow-up. "Follow-up operation after may nasugatan (It was a follow-up operation because one of our men was wounded)," he said. He identified those killed in the second encounter as Romy Lachica, Angelito Malabanan, and Vivencio Javier, believed to be the leader of the gang. Atun said the incident occurred at a farm reportedly owned by siblings of Javier. He said items police recovered from the two encounters included an M16 rifle, a cal-.38 revolver, a cal-.45 pistol, and a grenade. But he also said it is also possible other members of the gang may have escaped. "Madilim ang area (The area was dark at the time)," he said. - GMANews.TV