Paranaque City – The quiet of a late Friday night in a working class bedroom community and suburb of Metro Manila was shattered by gunfire running gun battles lasted until a few hours before sunrise. Residents say they heard prolonged gunfire, grenade launchers, and, explosions that left 17 people, including an 8 year old girl and her father, a truck drivers helper, as well as a policeman along with 11 alleged bandits who battled officers deployed to stop a payroll robbery attempt at a transportation company. Others were injured in the firefight including guards of small residential subdivision who attempted to block escaping gang members escape.

At least three, and perhaps more, were able to escape in the ensuing shootout. Police search teams and counter terror units were deployed to the area with searches and sweeps conducted until morning.

The violent gang of gunmen who opened fire indiscriminately in all directions was a calculated desperate attempt to sow confusion and escape policemen deployed to stop them. Police and gang crossfire or mistaken identity led to the deaths of at least two of the bystanders.

A ballistics and forensics investigation is ongoing to determine who fired the fatal shoots that killed Alfonso de Vera and his daughter in a parked car near an all-night convenience store. Witnesses say that some of gunmen fled in the direction of the vehicle. Police may have fired on it thinking it was occupied by gang members.

Father, daughter among 16 dead in Parañaque shootout ABS CBN News
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The gang has had other violent robbery plots, one inside the Philippines’ state university, U.P. Diliman,  was carried out with military precision. Three victims were not just murdered they were shot execution style by the gang.  Along with dismissed lawmen and military militia fighters who turned to crime the gunmen were members of the Waray-Waray and Ozamis gang that use high powered weapons in their deadly robbery sprees. The group is also known for violent kidnappings, murder for hire, and, has in the past been alleged to have engaged in political assassination for hire in Mindanao.

Many dead in Philippine shootout
Aljazeera.net, Qatar - Speaking on Saturday, Bataoil said the assailants went berserk, firing at everyone in sight near a residential subdivision in suburban Paranaque city. …
17 killed in dramatic shootout in Philippines The Associated Press
Philippines: 17 die in police clash with robbers International Herald Tribune
17 killed in Philippine metro shootout Xinhua
Nepal News – all 195 news articles »

The gang is noted for its violence and has hit in all points of the compass around this metropolis of over 12 million that is greater Manila. The shootout started late Friday night – three gang members were captured another gang who was killed was a dismissed policeman who had served with the elite counter terrorism unit PNP-SAF. The gangs tactics involved impersonation of Police raiding teams tactics often in makeshift uniforms that often led victims to believe at time active policemen were involved. In some raids the gang members even stopped traffic dressed as lawmen. Misleading investigators by using their knowledge of police forensics to throw off those seeking to gain their identity.

At times some police sources say the gang would stage attacks on witnesses or even visit the crime scenes pretending to be investigators themselves. Overall the groups main strike force when operations were carried out could number between ten or fifteen to as many as twenty-five.

[],,, 11 suspects who were killed, eight aboard a maroon Toyota utility vehicle (Plate number XJG-193) – United Parañaque Subdivision 4 (UPS-4) near West Service Road; two on a motorcycle at Sucat Road.

One suspect died while being treated at a hospital. Two more suspects aboard a motorcycle were killed in a seperate service road encounter. One of those slain was initially identified in the dzBB report as Ronel Campos, said to be a former member of the elite Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force. [] GMANews.tv

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