PAG suspect kills self, 4 cops hurt in Cavite raid

Rather than submit himself to authorities, a suspected member of a private armed group in Cavite chose to blast himself to pieces with a grenade, which also wounded four policemen who were going after him. "Sama-sama tayong mamamatay (We will die together)," suspect Pedro Paredes supposedly said before he detonated the grenade he was holding, according to PO1 Rolando Cativo of Trece Martires City, Cavite police in an interview aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras."
The newscast said law enforcers found Paredes hiding under the bed inside a room where high-powered guns and ammunitions were stored. The suspect resisted the policemen who tried to accost him, the report added. PO3 Roderick Amores said he was about to handcuff Paredes when he saw smoke coming out of the grenade. “Tumakbo ako. Pagtakbo, sabi ko may tama ako (I ran away. After that I realized I was hit)," said Amores. The explosion cost Amores his toe finger, while another member of the police team, PO3 Benjamin Espineli was in critical condition due to wounds in various parts of his body and the loss of one of his hands. Two other team members, PO1 Estelito Bergado and PO1 Rolando Cativo, also sustained wounds, with Cativo losing one finger. They are all confined at the Trece Martires Hospital, the GMA newscast said. Suspected Cavite PAGs In a statement, the police said they were about to conduct a search operation at the Paredes compound in barangay De Ocampo, Trece Martires City on Tuesday evening, after securing a warrant from the Naic branch of the Cavite Regional Trial court. The operation was part of the government’s continuing implementation of the nationwide gun ban and dismantling of private armies to thwart possible election-related violence. Police said they obtained information that Paredes and his brothers, Emilio and Policarpio, are keeping a large cache of firearms believed to be used by private armed groups in Cavite. “Preventive ‘yung ginawa namin (What we did was preventive)," Supt. Rey Galan, Trece Martires police chief, told GMA News. “Although hindi pa sila nag sho-show of support sa politicians, alam namin namin may tinatagong baril doon (Although they were not yet showing support to politicians, we knew firearms were being hidden there)." Recovered from the suspect's house were an M16 rifle, two hand grenades, four long magazines for M16 rifle and several rounds of ammunition. The police meanwhile are studying which case to file against Policarpio and a certain Cenon Mores and Leo Manaig. “Posibleng gamitin sila sa pananakot at maaring gumamit ng dahas para manalo ‘yung kanilang kandidato na susuportahan (It’s possible they will be used for harassment and employ violence to ensure the win of the candidate they choose to support)," said Chief Supt. Rolando Añonuevo, Calabarzon Police regional director. But Policarpio Paredes, who was arrested with two others, denied any involvement with the confiscated firearms and said it was unlikely that his brother Pedro was a member of a private or partisan armed group (PAG). "Wala po, wala (None, sir, none)," Policarpio said when asked if his brother was connected with any politician. Masbate PAGs In a related event, Philippine National Police chief Dir. General Jesus Verzosa said law enforcers are closely monitoring the political situation in Masbate province, where PAGs reportedly linked with the communist-led insurgency are believed to be operating. Verzosa said the PNP has received reports that “rogue members of the New People's Army (NPA)" are operating there as “goons-for-hire." Even the chairperson of the newly-created independent commission against PAGs, retired Justice Monina Arevalo Zenarosa, has asked the PNP to look into the province’s supposed “volatile political situation" that has been aggravated by the existence of PAGs and NPA insurgents, he said. Based on PNP record, some 3,000 loose firearms are estimated to be proliferating in Masbate. At the same time, the Communist Party of the Philippines and NPA has three guerilla fronts in Masbate where 93 active members are armed with an estimated 113 firearms. Among the initial actions taken by the police were to intensify checkpoints and to deploy some 100 police personnel to the province for operations against PAGs and violators of the gun ban. “We are closely monitoring the situation in Masbate to prevent possible escalation of election-related violent incidents in the province which is considered among the potential powder kegs and election hotspots in the country," Verzosa said. Should it become necessary, the police may recommend placing the province under Comelec control, he added. – JV, GMANews.TV