2 ‘holdup’ men killed on Commonwealth

Two men were killed in a gunfight with lawmen after allegedly robbing jeepney passengers in Quezon City Friday night.

A third suspect escaped when the encounter happened around 10:20 p.m. at the corner of Sta. Maria Street and Commonwealth Avenue, Barangay Holy Spirit.

PO2 Roldan Cornejo said the two slain men were about 30 to 35 years old, 5’4” tall, fair-skinned and sported tattoos.

One of them was wearing a black shirt and black jeans, while the other sported a blue shirt and jeans.

The three suspects posed as commuters before they held up Orly Liwag, Rachel Ubalde and Ma. Rio Pulga-Aquino at gunpoint in a jeepney driven by Mark Gantala on Commonwealth.

They took Liwag’s watch, Ubalde’s cell phone and wallet containing P500, Aquino’s cash worth P10,000, and Gantala’s earnings amounting to P3,500 before running off.

The victims reported the robbery to the Batasan police station, which dispatched a team led by SPO2 Alfredo Paluma.

Cornejo said the team saw the suspects running on Commonwealth and chased them up to the Obenza furniture shop near Sta. Maria Street.

The officers told the suspects to surrender but the latter opened fire, according to a record of the incident.

Police recovered Liwag and Ubalde’s belongings but not Gantala and Aquino’s cash.

Also seized from the slain suspects were two .38-caliber revolvers. Julie M. Aurelio