Funeral agent to cops: They’re my sons

A funeral home agent whose job included soliciting clients got the shock of his life when the police brought in the bodies of two unidentified robbery suspects who were allegedly killed in a shootout in Marikina City.

“These are my sons,” Antonio Abergas, an employee of Ka Andres Memorial Chapel in the city, told the police on Tuesday.

According to Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District director, Abergas’ sons, Philip, 33 and Jun, 25, were killed at 11:15 p.m. Monday in a dragnet operation conducted by members of the Marikina police Special Weapons and Tactics unit.

Suspects cornered

Around three hours earlier, the brothers reportedly robbed three people in Goodrich Village, Barangay Concepcion Uno, taking their cell phones, wallets, ATM cards and other valuables.

After the suspects fled on their motorcycle, the victims called up the police which immediately set up checkpoints.

Sapitula said the Abergas siblings were cornered on Tanguile Street in Marikina Heights. Instead of surrendering, they opened fire, resulting in a shootout in which both were killed.

Senior Supt. Roger Quesada, city police chief, told the Inquirer that the bodies were brought to Ka Andres because it was nearest to the crime scene. At that time, the suspects had yet to be identified.

According to him, when he and other policemen went to the funeral home the following day, they were surprised when Abergas met them and told them the suspects were his sons.

‘Your sons fought back’

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were their father. Your sons fought back,” Quesada said he told Abergas.

“They may be my sons, but if they did that, even though it pains me, there is nothing I can do,” Abergas replied.

Quesada said that the father apparently knew of his sons’ illegal activities but admitted that he failed to watch over them.

According to Sapitula, the brothers, who belonged to a group of notorious motorcycle-riding robbers operating in the city, were positively identified by their last victims.

SPO3 Marlon Maiso, an investigator from the city police station, said that Philip was one of Marikina’s most wanted men, having two pending arrest warrants issued by two courts in 2014.

The Inquirer tried to talk to the family to get their reaction, but they declined.

Only the siblings’ aunt, Eva, agreed to be interviewed. She described her nephews as good and generous men. Philip, she said, used to work for a gun manufacturing company.

The police recovered as evidence the brothers’ motorcycle, a black Yamaha Mio without a license plate, .45-caliber and .38-caliber firearms and the loot they took from their victims.