Cousin of rob convict Herbert Colanggo shot, wounded in Ozamiz

Herbert Colanggo (a.k.a Herbert Colangco, as a singer in prison), now a witness to the alleged drug protection racket in New Bilibid Prisons, that has dragged the name of Sen. Leila de LIma. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

OZAMIZ CITY – A cousin of convicted robber Herbert Colanggo, who is now a witness to alleged links of Sen. Leila de Lima to drug traders operating from inside the New Bilibid Prisons, was wounded in a dawn attack by unidentified gunmen inside his home.

According to a police report, Joel Colanggo, 48, and his wife Janice, 33, and three-year old son Leandre, were asleep when armed men wearing ski masks barged into their house in Purok 6, Barangay Carmen around 12:30 a.m. Monday.  Citing accounts of witnesses, the police said six persons were involved in the assault— four in directly attacking the family and two serving as lookout outside the house while bullets were being pumped on the victims.

The suspects first destroyed the lock of the house’s main door and when the four were already inside, they fired into the family’s bedroom where the three victims were sleeping. The six then fled the scene on board three motorcycles with no registration plates.

With the help of neighbors, the three were then rushed to the nearest hospital. Authorities recovered eight empty shells of various firearms inside the Colanggo house.

Colanggo is vice-president of Mix Lending, a local financing firm owned by his family.

Joel Colanggo’s house was the subject of a court-ordered search carried out by police and anti-narcotics agents last August 28 for possible violations of the law on possession of firearms.

No contraband was recovered from the house during the raid.  SFM

CONVICTED FELONS AT HOUSE Witnesses Rodolfo Magleo, Herbert Colanggo (4th from left, in white shirt, standing), Noel Martinez and Jaime Pacho appear before the House of Representatives committee on justice, which is hearing alleged illegal drug activities implicating Sen. Leila de Lima, who was then justice secretary, at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. RICHARD A. REYES