TABUK CITY, Kalinga—A veteran tribal conflict mediator dispelled fears of an impending tribal war among several tribes in the province after a police operation in Lubuagan town here.
Four policemen were killed and three law enforcers were injured in the operation that saw a notorious criminal slain as authorities attempted to serve a warrant for his arrest on Tuesday morning.
The slain policemen come from the sub-tribes of Sumadel, Tanglad, Nnaneng and Dao-angan, while the suspect, Willy Sagasag, belongs to the Lubuagan tribe.
Engineer Andres Ngao-I, chairman of the Council of Elders of the Regional Committee on Indigenous Peoples Education, said there will be no tribal war even if the slain policemen came from various tribes in the province.
The killing of the suspect was “a result of a lawful and legitimate police operation,” Ngao-I added, thus, the “bodong” [peace pact] of the tribes where the authorities and the suspect came from was not actually severed.
“We also have to emphasize there were no other armed civilians involved in the encounter, that is why there is no possibility of the eruption of a tribal war among the tribes involved,” he stressed.
The encounter was a 5-minute gun battle between Sagasag, who had a P600,000 reward for his arrest, and law enforcers at Lausong, Canao, in Lubuagan town on Tuesday.
Sr. Supt. Brent Majaco, director of the Kalinga Provincial Police Office, identified the fatalities as PO3 Cruzaldo Lawagan, PO1 Jovenal Manadao Aguinaldo, PO1 Charles Ryan Dongui-is Compas, PO1 Vincent Tay-od, all of Kalinga. Wounded were Sr. Insp. Eduardo Liclic, PO1 Ferdie Liwag and PO1 Ferdinand Asuncion.
Majaco, who shot and killed Sagasag during the gun fight, said no other civilians or armed men were involved in the shootout.
Sagasag is facing murder, frustrated murder, robbery with intimidation, and violence charges issued by various courts across Northern Luzon.
Recovered from Sagasag were 36 5.56 mm cartridge cases, one M16 rifle, a black rig, a long plastic magazine, three short and three long metal magazines, and 127 rounds of M16 ammunition.
Gov. Jocel C. Baac said the provincial government will give P50,000 each to the families of the slain law enforcers, while P30,000 each will go to the families of the wounded policemen. The local government will also shoulder the hospital and medical expenses of the cops currently confined at the hospital.
Baac stressed that local officials do not tolerate the presence of wanted individuals who seek refuge in any part of the province.
Kalinga “remains to be peaceful and orderly” amidst the recent encounter, the governor added.