4 drug suspects dead in Calabarzon shootout

SAN PEDRO CITY – Four persons, all tagged in the illegal drug trade, were killed in separate police shootout in Calabarzon.

In Calamba City, Laguna, two Lito Labongray alias “Yetyet” and his still unidentified male companion died in a buy-bust operation in Barangay (village) Bucal around 4 a.m. Thursday, a report from the Calabarzon police said.

The suspects engaged law enforcers in a gunfight, the police said. Recovered were two guns and a sachet of suspected “shabu” (crystal meth).

Also on Thursday, two suspected criminals engaged police in a shootout around 2 a.m. along the Tagaytay-Casile road in Barangay Dapdap East, Tagaytay City, Cavite.

City police chief Supt. Elmer Decena said police first spotted the suspects, aboard a motorcycle, as they approached a road checkpoint in Barangay Sungay West.

But as they came close, about 70 meters from the checkpoint, the motorcycle suddenly turned around and its back rider started shooting at the policemen. The police chased them down and hit one of them along the way.

The suspect was later identified as an alias “Rambo,” an illegal drug personality from Dasmariñas City. Decena said Rambo died of bullet wounds while the other suspect had escaped. The police recovered a .38 caliber gun and two sachets of suspected shabu.

In Tanauan City, Batangas, police killed drug suspect Rodgie Anter in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Poblacion 7 around 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The regional police report said Anter tried to resist arrest by grabbing the gun of the undercover policeman, prompting the law enforcers to shoot him down.