4 robbers killed in Nueva Ecija gunfight

STO. DOMINGO, Nueva Ecija, Philippines—Four suspected robbers were killed in what police claimed was a gunfight with policemen in Barangay (village) Burgos here on Wednesday morning.

Police said the four slain men had robbed passengers of a Metro Manila-bound bus in Barangay Malasin and also taken the earnings of three burger stands in the area.

Chief Inspector Eric de Venancio, Sto. Domingo police chief, said the alleged robbers were aboard two motorcycles and were armed with handguns. Investigators have yet to identify them.

De Venancio said policemen chased the alleged robbers after they received a call from a passenger of the Baliwag Transit bus at 4 a.m.

Albert Viloria, the bus conductor, said he was loading the bags of some passengers on a road in Barangay Malasin when one of the men approached him and at gunpoint, announced a holdup. Another man poked a gun at the driver.

De Venancio said the group took at least P14,000 from the bus passengers and an undetermined amount from the burger stands.

He said policemen caught up with the group in Barangay Burgos, where the gunfight ensued.