1 killed as cops block suspected `jueteng’ group in Pampanga

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A member of a group suspected of operating the numbers racket “jueteng” was killed in an encounter with a police team in Candaba town in Pampanga province on Sept. 9, according to a belated report.

The man, known only as “Barak,” was killed when he shot it out with a team from the Police Provincial Public Safety Command (PPSC) that responded to a complaint that armed men were in and around a house in Barangay Bahay Pare in Candaba, according to PPSC chief, Supt. Michael Masangcay.

The men fired at the policemen, triggering a firefight that killed Barak, Masangcay said. Barak’s companions, known only as “Arnold” and “Paul,” escaped as policemen approached the house.

The homeowner, Manolito Villorente, was arrested along with Lilibeth Yambao and Victorino de la Cruz, all of Bahay Pare; and Reggie Bernardino and Paul Anthony Ignacio, both of Baliuag town in Bulacan province. Money and bet receipts were seized from them.

Jueteng operators also crossed into Masantol town, which is at the border of Calumpit town in Bulacan, where two bet collectors were arrested on Sept. 5.