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Cop killers on the loose!

STILL unidentified assassins ambushed and killed a bemedalled 61-year old retired Bulacan police director-turned chief of the Bulacan Provincial Security Unit and provincial jail on Wednesday afternoon.

This as a former Manila policeman was shot to death by a still unidentified assassin yesterday morning in Tondo, Manila.

Retired Colonel Fernando Villanueva suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died during the attack which took place along the MacArthur Highway in Barangay Iba Este in Calumpit, Bulacan at around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday.

At least two gunmen involved in the attack are still being hunted by members of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office, said local police director, Colonel Lawrence B. Cajipe.

An investigation showed that Villanueva and his driver Pedro Flores,44, were on board a Bulacan government-issued Mitsubishi Strada when the killers struck and repeatedly fired shots at the retired cop who was sitting at the rear right passenger seat of the vehicle.

The driver was unhurt in the incident.

Cajipe said that immediately after learning of the incident, they flashed an alarm and put up checkpoints for the interception of the killers. No arrests have been made as of press time.

However, the official said they are following-up leads and are checking all available CCTV footages at the site. Reports said that one of the suspects was spotted boarding a passing tricycle which was last seen heading towards the direction of Hagonoy municipality.

The Bulacan provincial government condemned the killing and called on the local police to leave no stones unturned in the investigation of the case.

Villanueva is a known nemesis of the New People’s Army and criminals in the province when he was still in active service.

He used to be the commander of the Bulacan PPO’s 305th Provincial Mobile Force Company and became a Regional Highway Patrol Unit 3 chief before becoming Bulacan police director in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Manila Police District (MPD)-Raxabago Station 1 (PS-1) identified the other slain victim as PSgt. Dranreb Cipriano, 47, of No. 407 Lallana St., Tondo.

Cipriano was cruising along Vitas on his black Yamaha Mio when he was shot by the suspect at 9:10 a.m. on Vitas.

The suspect fled on foot towards Ugbo Street.

When authorities responded, the victim was already dead and sprawled on a pool of his own blood.

Found on the victim was his .45 cal. gun.

Authorities are investigating the incident to establish the identity of the suspect and the motive behind the killing.

With Itchie G. Cabayan