Bicol's most wanted killed in police encounter

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 25) — A man suspected of killing some 100 people and shaking down business owners died during a police encounter on Tuesday evening, authorities said.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr. said police arrested in Paranaque City a certain Gilbert Concepcion dubbed as Bicol's most wanted person.

Concepcion and his armed accomplice had a gunfight with the police, leading to the death of the suspect and his companion after sustaining gunshot wounds, Acorda said.

“He's so notorious that he was also responsible for the killing of his own father in their residence," Acorda said in a statement. "He was also responsible for the killings of barangay officials in Libon, Albay who were against him."

Authorities seized firearms, pistol magazines, and fired cartridge cases, among other things.

Concepcion is the Department of the Interior and Local Government's most wanted person with a monetary reward of ₱420,000, police said.

The suspect was allegedly a former member of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA) before becoming an informant of the Philippine Army.

He took an absence without official leave and used the skills he learned during his Philippine Army training to commit crimes, police added.

“He's rumored to have killed, whether documented or undocumented killings, 100, more than 100. So ganu'n ka-notorious,” National Capital Region Police Office Director Jose Melencio Nartatez told reporters.

The police chief said the suspect was the leader of the Concepcion Criminal Gang which is involved in gun-for-hire and robbery-extortion activities in Albay and Camarines Sur in Bicol.

Police said Concepcion left Bicol and hid in the CALABARZON area before moving to Metro Manila.

He was facing kidnapping, murder, rape, and direct assault charges.

“Sasaya 'yung mga taga-Bicol because of the apprehension nito dahil nirereklamo na ng business communities, lahat halos. If you will go to Libon, may mga barangays du'n na in-abandon na nila ang lugar because of the incidents na kagagawan ng grupo na 'to,” Southern Luzon Area Police Commander Rhoderick Armamento said in the same briefing.

[Translation: The Bicolenos and the business communities will be happy because they have been reporting this, all of them. If you go to Libon, there are already abandoned barangays because of the incidents caused by this group.]