By Jennifer P. Rendon
It was barely a week ago when the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) launched a massive manhunt operation against a criminal group behind the series of robbery incidents in the province.
The manhunt got its result on Feb 9, 2020 with the neutralization of an alleged member of the notorious Libuna Group.
Police identified the slain suspect as Joan Lego, a resident of Barangay Bagongbong, Lambunao, Iloilo. He was killed after he and his two companions put up a fight with pursuing members of Dingle Police Station.
But Police Captain Fernando Punzalan Jr., Dingle PNP chief, said they have decided to consider the suspect as “unidentified” after his parents claimed that the person was not their son, Joan Lego.
“We have presented the photo of the victim but the parents denied that it was their son. So, the cadaver remains unclaimed, as of now,” Punzalan said Sunday afternoon.
He explained they identified the person as Lego based on the police rogue’s gallery and other “holdings.”
“But we would exhaust other means to identify the suspect, like scientific evidence and testimonies,” he said.
The slain man’s two companions evaded arrest when he was purposely dropped off from their getaway motorcycle while fleeing around 5 a.m. at Barangay Tabugon, Dingle town.
Police rushed him to Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan town where he was declared dead on arrival.
Punzalan said the police chase stemmed from a robbery incident at Barangay Camambugan, Dingle.
Three motorcycle-riding men allegedly robbed Hilda dela Cruz of Dingle town proper and Lena Mogat, a resident of Caguyuman village, after the duo came from a wake around 5:10 a.m.
They carted the women’s two mobile phones and P1,800 cash.
They then sped off and chanced upon Tita Fuentes who was waiting for a ride to church. They also took away the elderly woman’s wallet containing P500.
“They don’t have a definite target. They just took chances on any person by the roadside,” Punzalan said.
After receiving the report, police officers patrolling the area were immediately told to look out for the suspects who might pass by the village.
True enough, the three suspects passed by the area but did not stop when the officers flagged them down.
Punzalan said the slain suspect and another companion fired at the police. The officers retaliated and hit the unidentified man on the head.
Police officers in the third and fourth districts of Iloilo were alerted to run after the Libuna Robbery Group who is allegedly behind the series of robbery incidents that target persons waiting for a ride early in the morning.
On Monday, Feb. 3, Police Colonel Roland Vilela, Iloilo police chief, announced that they have identified at least four members of the group that staged at least four robbery incidents since December 2019.
But two days after the announcement, not a member of the group was arrested. Instead, the group was believed to have staged another heist.
Four men on board two motorcycles robbed a 30-year-old man who was waiting for a ride at Barangay Abangay, Dingle town.
One of the back riders allegedly alighted from the motorcycle and robbed Vic Raul Sabi, Jr.
At gunpoint, the gunman took the victim’s wallet containing P2,000 cash, a mobile phone, and a backpack.
Vilela believed that the suspects are part of the group they are hunting.
Vilela also tagged the Libuna group in four robbery incidents in Lambunao, Dueñas, Passi City, and Dingle since Dec. 12, 2019.
On Feb. 1, several police units launched an operation to arrest the suspects.
The IPPO Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) team, IPPO Intelligence Branch, and the local police station went to a far-flung village in Janiuay town. While no member of the robbery group was arrested, police collared the suspects’ mother and charged her for obstruction of justice.
Vilela said they did not pursue any longer as the place was considered a “red area” due to sightings of local rebels.
“We have to get them. Hindi lang sila nangho-hold-up but they also hurt their victims,” he earlier said.
Previously, the group was also involved in motornapping.
But Vilela clarified that the Libuna gang is different from the group behind Akyat-Bahay or burglary operations that targeted houses of overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
