Three members of an armed group engaged in treasure hunting activities, were arrested, while a policeman was injured in an intermittent gunbattle Monday with armed men in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.

Police Officer 2 Ricky Lademora, of the Sipalay City police station, is now fighting for his life at the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital in Bacolod City, after he was hit in the head, during a clash with about seven armed men in Brgy. Nauhang, Sipalay City.

Supt. Leonardo Angcon, Sipalay police chief, yesterday said the arrest of three suspects identified as  Pepito Canonigo, Bert Anthony Villacencio and Enarciso Villavito, yielded a 9mm pistol with a magazine containing ammunition, while two hand grenades, two homemade shotguns, and assorted ammunition of various caliber of firearms, five bolos, a gun holster, were recovered from a cave they were hiding in.

Angcon said two skulls and human bones, 25 candles and documents written in Latin words, assorted personal belongings and wallets were also found by Sipalay policemen in the cave, which has a bunker. They also discovered diggings underneath the bunker.

Initial police investigation showed that a team of Sipalay policemen responded to the complaints of Mae Garaygay and her workers who claimed to have been threatened at gunpoint by the group of a certain Gilbert Boy, an alleged ex-soldier, engaged in treasure hunting activities.

While approaching the place, Angcon said the policemen were fired at by the armed group, and this triggered a brief gunbattle, and causing the injury of Lademora.

Four of the seven armed men led by Boy managed to evade arrest, while Canonigo was intercepted while fleeing from the encounter site, and a 9mm pistol was seized from him.

Villavito and Villacencio, on the other hand, were cornered by policemen inside the cave, and firearms and explosives were among the items recovered.

Angcon said they are verifying reports that some of the suspects were also involved in robbery-hold-up incidents in Brgy. Cartagena and neighboring barangays in Sipalay City.

Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, said they have received surrender feelers from the suspects who are at-large.

Guisihan said the arrested suspects are not members of the New People’s Army, but affiliated with an organization in southern Negros.*GPB

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