A COUNCILMAN of Barangay Bacong-Montilla in Bago City, Negros Occidental died while three others, including the village chief, were injured in a shootout with police at Rosario Heights Subdivision in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City past 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 13.
Chief Inspector Jovil Sedel, head of Police Station 6, identified the fatality as Rodolfo Gayagas Jr., cousin of Barangay Captain Federico Gayagas, who was among the injured.
Also wounded were Samson Gonzaga, 41 and Johnny Abong, 47.
Federico Gayagas, 44, was also arrested for possession of high-powered firearms in Barangay Bacong-Montilla last April.
Sedel said they were supposed to serve an arrest warrant for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 against Jaime “Morito” Benares, 66, of Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City, who was placed under surveillance for two months.
Benares is the cousin of William Chua, a top drug personality of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region, who was arrested together with his son Wesley Chua, and 11 others in a suspected drug den at Benares compound in Barangay Alijis last June.
During the raid, the police recovered P900,000 worth of illegal drugs.
On Tuesday, Benares was on board a sports utility vehicle with his companions when a police team flagged down their vehicle.
The vehicle did not stop and the passengers fired at the policemen instead.
Rodolfo Gayagas even attempted to throw a grenade at the operatives but he was shot, Sedel said.
No policeman was hurt during the exchange of gunfire.
What followed was the arrest of Benares and Renante Firmias, 38, of Barangay Felisa, who are now detained at the station.
The incident caused traffic along the Taculing-Mansilingan road since a rerouting was implemented while scene of the crime operatives were securing and clearing the area.
Sedel said the Gayagas cousins were supposed to have a transaction with Benares, based on the police initial investigation.
Police recovered from Benares a shotgun and two sachets of suspected shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) while Firmias also yielded a shotgun loaded with seven live ammunition , a fragmentation grenade, and two sachets of shabu.
Also recovered from Rodolfo Gayagas was a .45 caliber pistol loaded with one round of live ammunition, one magazine containing three rounds of ammunition, and a tooter.
Sedel said the recovered illegal drugs was valued at P30,000.
Drug charges and charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act are being readied against the suspects.
