2 robbers slain in shootout

MANILA, Philippines—Two robbery suspects were shot dead by policemen who chased them after they held up a woman who was shopping in Divisoria, Manila, on Saturday afternoon.

Five members of the Manila Police District’s (MPD) Station 2 in Tondo rushed to the victim’s side when they heard her cry for help at around 5 p.m.

They immediately got into a patrol car after a number of bystanders told them that the robbers had escaped on a Monumento-bound jeepney.

A chase ensued with the police following the jeepney as it entered Jose Abad Santos Avenue.

When the robbers alighted in front of M. Hizon Elementary School, they fired upon their pursuers who retaliated, resulting in their death.

MPD Station 2 commander Superintendent Ernesto Tendero Jr. said the two men were members of the Commando Gang, a notorious robbery-holdup group in the city. One was identified as Alan Galote who, according to the police official, had been in and out of jail several times for robbing people.

Recovered from the two men were two wristwatches believed to have been stolen, a knife and a gun, Tendero added.