SURRENDER. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. talks to Samar private armed group leader Jimmy Managaysay during an event in Catarman, Northern Samar on May 6, 2024. The recent surrender of a private armed group leader and one of its members is a big boost to the Philippine National Police (PNP) campaign against criminality in Samar province, the PNP regional office said. (Photo courtesy of DILG)
TACLOBAN CITY – The recent surrender of a private armed group leader and a member is a big boost to the Philippine National Police (PNP) campaign against criminality in Samar province, the PNP regional office here said.
In a press briefing late Tuesday, PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director Reynaldo Pawid said their surrender is a result of intensified manhunt operations against members of criminal gangs in Samar.
“We have intensified our operations to hunt wanted persons in cooperation with the Philippine Army. These private armies felt the pressure, prompting them to surrender,” Pawid told reporters.
The police regional director was referring to the surrender of Jimmy Managaysay, 36, a leader of the Managaysay criminal group engaged in different illegal activities in Calbayog City and neighboring towns in the first district of Samar.
The gang leader listed as a national most wanted person, voluntarily surrendered on May 5 to police operatives in Villahermosa village in Calbayog City.
Managaysay has standing warrants of arrest for eight counts of murder, six counts of frustrated murder, two counts of robbery with homicide, attempted murder, direct assault with multiple attempts at homicide, and grave threats.
He also turned over his firearms and ammunition to the Calbayog City police station.
On May 9, alias Edgar, 45, of Calbayog City, Samar, also surrendered. He is an active member of Managaysay's potential private armed group.
He has a standing warrant of arrest for the crime of murder and frustrated murder issued by the Regional Trial Court branch in Calbayog City, Samar, in 2018 and 2020, with no bail recommended.
Edgar also yielded firearms when he surrendered to authorities in San Jose village in Calbayog City.
“Their voluntary surrender serves as a powerful testament to the unwavering trust and confidence of the public in the police force and the government. This significant achievement reinforces our commitment to relentlessly pursuing fugitives who evade justice, ultimately ensuring they are held accountable before the law,” Pawid added.
The police have been stepping up their search against criminal gang members following an armed encounter between policemen and a private armed group on January 30, 2024, in Santa Margarita, Samar.
Police operatives were about to serve arrest warrants against a gang leader and members when armed men fired on them, triggering a shootout that killed three police officers and wounded four others. (PNA)
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