by cherry pedro

CAMP BGEN OSCAR M FLORENDO – Five suspected members of a kidnap for ransom group were killed in a shootout with authorities at around 12:30 a.m. yesterday (July 29), along the Lucao-Dawel Diversion road in Dagupan City.

Chief Supt Ramon V. Gatan, PRO1 Regional Director, identified the fatalities as Elisco Emuslan, 34, resident of San Andres Bukid, Manila; Jesus Matienzo Jr., 40, of Masbate, Masbate; Joey Tindugan, 34, of Mlang, North Cotabato; Glenn Ares, 32, of Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City; and Edgardo Estrella, 39, a resident of Bagong Barrio in Caloocan City.

Sr. Supt Percival Barba, Pangasinan Police chief said prior to the incident the Dagupan City Police Station received information that a kidnap-for-ransom gang will kidnap an unidentified person somewhere in Dagupan City or in on of its adjacent towns.

Upon receiving the tip from a realible source, a composite team composed of the Presidential Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER), Regional Intelligence Office 1 (RIO1), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-NCR) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) follow-up the lead and to arrest the suspects.

According to Barba, the suspects were later spotted by a Dagupan mobile patrol unit on board a white KIA KC2700 van without plate number, along Bonuan Binloc area. The van was earlier reported to have been stolen the previous day (July 28) while parked in front of a restaurant in A.B. Fernandez East, Dagupan City.

The police officers tried to approach the vehicle and accost the suspects but instead of stopping, the van instead sped off, prompting the lawmen to give chase Barba said.

The suspects were later cornered along the Lucao-Diversion Rd., upon sensing that they were cornered, the suspects fired at the lawmen, Barba added.

The five injured suspects were immediately rushed by the responding Dagupan City Emergency Medical Team to the Region 1 Medical Hospital in Arellano District, Dagupan City, but all of them were declared dead on arrival (DOA) by the attending physician, Barba stressed.

Initial investigation revealed that the fatalities were armed with different types of handguns, and that four of them have in their possession AFP identification cards. The authenticity of the ID’s is now the subject of verification by the police.—with larry madarang