3 kidnap suspects slain in Bulacan

The police mean business.

Three members of the Villaver kidnap for ransom gang were killed yesterday in a foiled kidnap attempt in Marilao town in Bulacan by agents of the new Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) team.

Shot dead at 1:30 p.m. at the Town and Country North Executive Village were Gilbert Espina, Lito Mercado and a certain Allan, Bulacan police director Senior Superintendent Edgardo Acuña said.

Espina was driving the getaway car, a dark gray Mitsubishi Lancer with license plates UDK 478.

The foiled kidnapping was a result of two weeks of surveillance of the suspects by PACER agents.

Acuña said that yesterday morning, PACER and Marilao police headed by Superintendent George Turcuator were conducting stakeout and dragnet operations within the subdivision. The operations were spurred by intelligence reports that members of the Villaver kidnap group would be meeting at the Latian restaurant inside the subdivision.

At 1 p.m., the suspects’ car was seen entering the subdivision. "When signaled to stop at one of PACER’s checkpoints, the occupants of the car opened fire and were able to pass through the police blockade, triggering a car chase," Acuña said.

The suspects’ car was eventually cornered along Mahogany street inside the subdivision, where the suspects traded fire with the lawmen.

Mercado died on the way to the hospital, while Espina and Allan were killed on the spot, Acuña said.

He said police records showed that the three were all members of the Villaver group, which has been tagged as the brains behind at least six kidnappings of Filipino-Chinese businessmen.

The remains of Allan and Mercado were brought to the Funeraria Villaria in Bocaue, Bulacan. Recovered from the slain suspects were a caliber .45 automatic, a caliber .38 revolver, three hand grenades and two cellular phones.

According to police records, the Villaver kidnap group is a sub-group of the well-organized and well-armed Fajardo kidnap-for-ransom group.

The Villaver group, police records showed, was responsible for the abductions of Angeles City businessman Ricardo Tan in January 2002; Connie Wong on Oct. 1, 2001 in Quezon City; businessman Benjamin Uy in San Juan in 1998 and engineer Gilbert Uy in 1996.

The other members of the group who were supposed to rendezvous with the slain suspects may have fled, Acuna said.

Immediately after the shootout, President Arroyo canceled a scheduled meeting with some governors to motor to the crime scene from her luncheon reception at the 36th General Assembly of the League of Cities held at the Century Park Hotel in Manila.

The President arrived at the crime scene before Philippine National Police (PNP) Director and PACER chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane did, and the engine of the getaway car was still running as she inspected the area.

This latest foiled kidnap, Mrs. Arroyo said, shows off her administration’s firm resolve to eliminate all kidnap for ransom syndicates listed in the PNP order of battle.

Ignoring the blood and gore of the scene of the shootout, the President congratulated the police officers who foiled the kidnap attempt just a few hours after she witnessed the Practical Exercise of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Course at the PACER building at Camp Crame facilitated by two Scotland Yard agents.

The President’s decision to survey the crime scene took Ebdane and the Mrs. Arroyo’s own Presidential Security Group (PSG) detail by surprise.

While the PACER training regimen is "very confidential," the Chief Executive told reporters that the training program is part of the official commitment made by the United Kingdom to assist the Philippine government in combating organized crime, such as kidnapping for ransom. "this is part of our efforts to further enhance professionalism in our police force, especially in the war against big criminal syndicates... that is why we have two instructors from Scotland Yard here to facilitate this training program."

The President obtained this training assistance from the UK during her official visit there on Jan. 29-30 this year. — With James Mananghaya, Marichu Villanueva