Cops take out most wanted man in Cebu in San Nicolas shootout

Scene of the Crime Operatives process the shootout site in Barangay Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City, where Gerly Luwagi and his trusted aide, Junel Lasam were killed in an encounter with police officers on Monday, April 29. | Benjie Talisic

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police killed the most wanted man in Cebu Province and his alleged trusted aide during a shootout in Barangay Basak San Nicolas in Cebu City on Monday, April 29.

Gerly Luwage, 27, and Junel Lasam, who were both from Barangay Lawaan 3, Talisay City, were killed in the shootout when police officers tried to serve an arrest warrant against Luwagi in his rented apartment in Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City, said Police Captain Alejandro Batobalonos, Cebu Provincial Police Office Police Drug Enforcement Unit (CPPO PDEU) chief.

Batobalonos said that they were serving the arrest warrant against Luwage, which was issued by Judge Glenda Go of Branch 65 of the Regional Trial Court in Talisay City for a case involving the selling of illegal drugs, when Luwage and Lasam allegedly pulled out guns and shot it out with police officers.

Batobalonos said that they also recovered 200 grams of suspected shabu at a desk of the rented apartment of Luwagi after the shootout.

He said the illegal drugs had an estimated Dangerous Drugs Board value of P1.3 million.

The 200 grams drug haul is the second one in Cebu City in two days. The first one was in the buy-bust operation in Barangay Labangon on April 27.

Read more: Electronics graduate nabbed with P1.3 shabu in Labangon bust

Aside from the suspected shabu in the Basak, San Nicolas operation, Batobalonos said a .45 caliber pistol and a . 357 revolver were recovered near the bodies of the suspects.

He said Luwage became the most wanted person in the province after he escaped during a buy-bust operation in Talisay City.

He said that it was a while back and a case was filed against Luwage and had not been arrested until they got a break a few weeks ago about Luwage’s whereabouts.

He said they placed the apartment that Luwagi rented for a week, secured the arrest warrant and served it at past 5 p.m. on Monday, April 28.

Batobalonos described Luwagi as a person who had taken over the alleged illegal drug business of a suspected drug lord, who was killed a few years back inside the jail by a fellow inmate./dbs