RCBC heist suspect killed in Laguna shootout

(Updated 9:30 a.m.) MANILA, Philippines - At least one of the suspects in the brutal May 16 robbery of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch in Cabuyao, Laguna, was killed in an encounter with police early Thursday. Radio dzBB's Benjie Liwanag Jr. cited initial reports from the Philippine National Police (PNP) saying that the incident occurred in Puting Lupa village in Calamba City in Laguna. The slain suspect was initially identified as Montano Tolentino, whom police said tried to shoot it out with members of Task Force RCBC. At least 10 persons were killed in the May 9 robbery of the RCBC branch in Cabuyao. Police officials branded the robbery-massacre the "work of the devil." Initial police reports showed the incident occurred at about 5 a.m. Radio dzRH’s report said that the firefight was still ongoing as of 7 a.m. Cops are verifying if Tolentino was indeed involved in the May 9 heist. Meanwhile, Calabarzon police commander Chief Supt. Ricardo Padilla vehemently denied the insinuations that Thursday morning's incident could be a case of a rubout. "Basta laging may patay laging may investigation yan. Katatapos magsalita ng CHR rubout at hindi kami nagtigil diyan. Pinulong namin tao we always follow police operational procedure (Whenever there is someone killed, we automatically start an investigation. The CHR claims of a rubout are still fresh in our minds. We already called our personnel to a meeting and told them to follow police operational procedures)," Padilla said in an interview on dzRH radio. Earlier, dzRH radio reported that Tolentino's son insisted his father was rubbed out, saying he and his father were inside their house when police came for his father. The report quoted Tolentino's son as saying his father surrendered to police and was handcuffed, but as they stepped out of the house, gunshots were heard. But Padilla said the elder Tolentino was the subject of a search warrant. "Instead na i-surrender ang baril he chose to fight it out (Instead of surrendering his firearm he chose to fight it out)," Padilla said. "Yan ang laging salita ng ating mga biktima ng mga ganyang engkwentro (That's the usual line of those whose relatives are killed in this kind of encounter)," he added. Padilla also said police invited media to "accompany" police teams to the site so they can see there was no rights violation. "Hindi kami kampon ng demonyo na kukuha at papatay (We're not the devil's servants who seize people and kill them). We always follow and do our police duty," he said. The incident came a week after three RCBC robbery suspects were killed in an encounter, which appeared to be a rubout according to the Commission on Human Rights. In the radio interview, Padilla also said they had been cooperating with the requests of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the supposed Batangas "rubout" but said police operations will not be hampered by the ongoing CHR investigation. "We are fully cooperating with human rights. We are not going to be hindered by this," he said. "Huwag naman sana ganoon ang sinasabi (We wish people won't accuse us of these things)," he added, referring to pronouncements that the Batangas incident was a "butout" and not a shootout as claimed by the police.- GMANews.TV