5 slain in gunfights during arrests in South Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY—Five fugitives were slain in separate clashes in South Cotabato on Thursday (Jan. 21) with police officers out to capture them.

The first police operation was in upland T’boli town where law enforcers sought out four suspects around 6 a.m. at the village of Basag for murder and frustrated murder charges.

The fugitives allegedly fired at the team of policemen and soldiers from the Army’s Special Forces Battalion who were approaching their house, according to Maj. Irish Hezron Parangan, Tboli police chief.

Parangan identified the slain fugitives as Saadin, Narjaid, Baharan and Morn, all surnamed Macabangin. He said they could be siblings.

Found beside the fugitives’ bodies were two .45 caliber pistols, a homemade Carbine rifle, bullets and dried marijuana leaves, said Parangan.

He added that police are looking into reports the four are members of a local branch of the terror group Islamic State that operates in the provinces of South Cotabato and Sarangani.

In Polomolok town, a certain Kamarudin Sante, 42, allegedly clashed with policemen who were about to arrest him in his house at the village of Koronadal Proper for an illegal drug charge.

Capt. Randy Apostol, Polomolok deputy police chief, said 10 sachets of suspect crystal meth and a caliber .38 pistol were seized from Sante’s possession.

According to Apostol, Sante is on the list of the town’s 10 most wanted drug suspects.

TSB