Garma
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two barangay tanods and a tanod’s wife were killed while a police officer was wounded in separate gunbattles during the police operation to search for loose firearms against the barangay tanods and a barangay official of Barangay Lusaran in Cebu City on Friday dawn of February 22.
Barangay tanods Renato Goc-ong and Reynaldo Laguna and Emma Goc-ong, Renato’s wife, died after the two village watchmen allegedly engaged in separate shootouts with police serving simultaneous search warrants for loose firearms against Goc-ong and Laguna at their houses sometime past 1 a.m., said Senior Superintendent Royina Garma, Cebu City Police Office director, in a press briefing on Friday, February 22.
Garma said firearms were also confiscated from the dead suspects, however, these were still being checked at the police crime laboratory.
Read more: Lusaran Barangay Captain nabbed for illegal possession of firearms
According to initial investigation, Garma said that the shootout started when Renato fired at PO3 Pachedo Pulgo, a member of the Cebu City Mobile Force Company (CMFC), the unit serving the search warrants in the area.
Pulgo led his team to enter Goc-ong’s house after the wife closed and locked their door instead of letting the police inside.
“Nakasalubong nila yung wife pag serve nang search warrant. Pumasok ulit sa bahay yung wife akala nang mga police palalabasin yung husband niya pero sinara lahat,” said Garma.
“Matagal naghintay yung pulis sa labas kaya sinuggest na pasukin baka daw mag-escape. Siya (Pulgo) yung unang tao nakapasok sa bahay pero putok yung sinalubong niya. Kaya may gunshot wound siya dito (below the bullet vest),” she added.
Garma said that Pulgo was wounded after he was hit in the body below his bullet proof vest.
Pulgo went in first and was shot by Renato. The other police officers then fired at Renato.
During the shootout, Renato’s wife was killed after she tried to shield her husband with her body from the police officers who were firing back at Renato when he shot PO3 Pulgo.
Pulgo was recuperating at a Cebu City hospital where he was rushed for treatment after the shootout incident.
While the shootout with Goc-ong happened, another team of police officers also served a search warrant on Laguna at his house but were allegedly fired upon instead by Laguna.
The police officers fired back and killed Laguna in the ensuing gunbattle.
During Friday’s operation, police also arrested the village chief of Lusaran, Agustin Partulan, for carrying loose firearms.
Police also served a search warrant against Partulan and was arrested after unlicensed firearms were allegedly found inside his house./dbs