MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) Police have gained headway into their investigation into the bank robbery in Laguna province, as two witnesses surface to provide details, including the identity of one of the suspects, National Police Chief Avelino Razon said.

Razon said one of the witnesses, whom he refused to identify, pointed to one of the robbers in a photo gallery shown by police.

Razon said they were looking into the possibility that the robbers who shot dead 8 employees of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), a client, and a security guard in Cabuyao town, last Friday were part of a gang in Southern Luzon although the group has never operated in Metro Manila.

Senior Superintendent Aaron Fidel, deputy provincial chief for operations of Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), meanwhile said the robbers were part of several criminal gangs operating in Laguna, Cavite and Batangas. He said investigators were closing in on at least three robbery groups.

Two other bank security guards, who surfaced hours after the incident, will also serve as witnesses after they tested negative for the paraffin and polygraph tests, said Razon.

Razon said the PNP would also propose additional security measures for banks.

Police had lost hope of identifying the suspects after Isagani Pastor, then the only survivor, died two days after the incident.

Investigators would have relied on Pastor for details of the robbery as the closed circuit television camera was not working.

Television news reports quoting bank officials said the robbers took some P12 million to P15 million.