The four men who were killed in a shootout with police in Barili town, southwest Cebu were identified by lending collectors and sales agents as the ones who robbed them in a series of robberies in southern Cebu.
“We already have robbery victims who positively identified them. We are monitoring if they have other members engaged in illegal drug activities,” said Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, chief of Cebu Provincial Police Office.
Gillamac said the killing of murder suspect Ronjohn Labrador and his companions Joselito Empinado, Julieto Soroño and Bebot Alcoy was a welcome development.
“We have already neutralized the armed groups in Alcoy and Dalaguete. Most armed groups have transferred to mountain areas in Barili, Dumanjug and even in Tuburan,” said Gillamac.
READ: Murder suspect, cohorts perish in shootout with police in mountain hideout
The three men were killed last Monday dawn after engaging in a shootout with the operatives of the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG-7).
Police, led by Senior Insp. Romeo Sentinta Jr., were about to serve an arrest warrant against Labrador, who was implicated for killing a man in barangay Buhisan, Cebu City.
Police said Labrador and his cohorts resisted arrest, triggering a shootout.
Supt. Rex Derilo, chief of RSOG, said records showed that Labrador was a juvenile delinquent before he got involved in robbery, gun smuggling and illegal drug activities.
“For now, the criminal gang is now considered neutralized but we are still monitoring other possible crime groups,” Derilo said.