Salisi gang members fall

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL 

Two men, suspected to be members of notorious Salisi gang from Mindanao, were arrested by authorities in Altavas, Aklan. 

Senior Police Officer 1 Jeric Dadivas of Banga police station identified the suspects as Reynaldo Gee, 39, native of Surigao del Norte and Bongie Tandugon, 36, native of Misamis Oriental. They allegedly victimized a store owner in a public market in Poblacion, Banga, Aklan at around 7 a.m. on August 7.

After the incident, the suspects rode a tricycle from the public market and disembarked in Barangay Libas, Banga, Aklan. Then, they took a bus bound to Iloilo. 

                                                                     PHOTOS PNP-BANGA AKLAN

Dadivas said the suspects were intercepted in a checkpoint in Altavas, Aklan while they were on board a Ceres bus at about 8:45 a.m. 

The suspects are now behind bars in Banga police station. They were also positively identified by their latest victim. 

On Saturday, a drugstore assistant also identified Tandugon, who was detained in Banga police lock-up cell, as the one who victimized and stole her handbag last month inside a drugstore in Kalibo, Aklan. 

“Nakilaea ku ru suspek ag positibo nga imaw nag biktima tag pag-adtu ku sa police station sa Banga, Aklan dayang Sabado. Idto man ru andang kaibahan nga baye sa presinto gabisita kanda, ginbuslahan ko pa ngani nga kaibahan imaw nanda (I positively identified the suspects and their women accomplice who also visited them in the police station,” she said.    

Last July 13, the victim and another female employee were about to close the drugstore when the alleged ‘Salisi’ gang members entered the place along Roxas Avenue Extension in Kalibo, Aklan at around 5 p.m. to buy medicines. 

The female victim said they were distracted by the gang members while their accomplice successfully stole the handbag from a nearby counter of the drugstore. 

“Parang Ilonggo sanda maghambae ag may kaibahan sanda nga mga baye. Hinabol pa namun sa guwa kaso nakasakay eot a sanda sa saeakyan (They are Ilonggo-speaking and they have women cohorts. We chased them outside the drugstore but they were able to ride their vehicle),” she said.

The female victim, who stays in Banga, Aklan, lost P5,000 cash money, a playbook tablet, two mobile phones, assorted identification cards and other valuables kept in the handbag.