A bandit group linked to the  series of killings in the hinterlands of EB Magalona and  to robbery-hold-up incidents in  neighboring areas, was reported to  be  targeting nine more individuals for liquidation, police intelligence reports said yesterday.

Supt. Samuel Mina, Task Force 3rd District chief, said yesterday that  they have  initiated  pre-emptive measures and alerted the reported targets for  liquidation by the bandit group.

Mayor David Albert Lacson, however, said he hopes  the suspects will be  arrested soon, before they commit more atrocities.

Lacson said  Brgy. Canlusong, EB Magalona, has been peaceful for more than two months now, after  the re-establishment of the detachment there.

Six persons, including two barangay kagawads, were killed by suspected members of a bandit  group from  June to December last year, while the fate of three abducted farmers remain  unknown, police records show.

Mina said their sustained campaign against the bandit group,  the  members of which has been reduced to seven from about 20 in previous years, has prompted the armed men, to flee towards Murcia and Bago City, where they are being reportedly coddled by their relatives.

Police records also show  that the seven suspects have pending arrest warrants for robbery-hold-up and homicide cases in Silay City, on top of three counts of murder filed against them last year,  for   the killing of Kagawad Rolando Lozada, his father, Nicolas,  and brother, Rene, as well as Lauro Delgado Sr.

Mina, however,   lamented  that the families of the  abducted victims seem to be uncooperative in their investigations on the reported kidnapping.

The families of the victims accused the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade of being  behind the abduction of their family members in July last year in Brgy. Canlusong, EB Magalona.

In September last year, former Canlusong barangay kagawad Federico Esguiran and his son, Nilo, were also both killed before their horrified family members in Brgy. Canlusong, EB Magalona.

Canlusong Brgy. Capt. Merriam Porras had  said earlier  that the re-establishment of a military outpost in the barangay, will address the security concerns raised by her constituents.*GPB

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