Former councilor, gang head nabbed: ‘Untouchable’ Kalinga mafia busted by lawmen

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Seven “mafia” members composed of a clan who reportedly called themselves the “Untouchables” and involved in various heinous crimes in this province were arrested by joint government forces who served arrest and search warrants in simultaneous operations dawn of Feb. 29.

Regional police director Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong supervised the operations along with Gil Cesario P. Castro, regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and army officials which led to the arrest of 11 mafia members including Rhett “Compol” GunnawaVillamor, 39, married, who leads the clan.

Villamor, who has a bachelor’s degree in political science and native of Barangay Lubuagan here was reportedly listed as top drug personality of the province.

Villamor told lawmen his source of living was working as barbeque vendor and that his monthly income amounted to P5,000.

Numerous sachets of shabu, worth more than a million pesos, bullets, guns, explosives, drug money, cellular phones and a van were confiscated from the alleged crime boss.

Villamor reportedly tried to evade arrest by boarding his van but was immediately subdued and disarmed by the operatives.

Police and PDEA reports said six members of the clan were also apprehended in simultaneous operations including Virgilio “Il-lo” Gunnawa, barangay chairman of Bulanao Centro, Tabuk City and president of the Association of Barangay Captains, and an ex-officio member of the Tabuk City Council.

Of the 10 search warrants, three were directed against the three different houses of Virgilio B. Gunnawa, one against Brixton P. Gunnawa, one against Rexor P. Gunnawa, one against Dexter P. Gunnawa, two against Cosme B. Gunnawa, one against Sylvestre B. Gunnawa and two against Villamor.

The raids which started at 5:30 a.m. resulted to the arrest of six persons: Brixton Gunnawa y Pimentel, Revor Gunnawa y Pimentel, Breil Alyaon y Ingga, Brix Dacnas y Bersalona, Melvin Ambasing y Cosidon, and Villamor who has a pending warrant of arrest for frustrated murder.

Confiscated from the group were: 12 assorted firearms, seven rifle grenades, one hand grenade, assorted ammunitions, seven different brands and makes of motorcycles and accessories, one Blackstone generator and illegal drugs ( 10 grams shabu and unspecified amount of hashish bricks.)

A search warrant was implemented around 5:45 a.m. at the residence of Villamor in Upper Purok 6, Bulanao, Tabuk City.

Found in Villamor’s Mitsubishi Delica van with plate number RCW 138, and at the second and first floors of his house, were seven sachets of about 123 grams shabu valued at P1,230,000, meth repackaging sachets, lighters and aluminum foils; a Cal. 45 pistol, Cal.22 rifle, one hand grenade, one ammo box with 19 assorted live bullets, one magazine and eight live bullets for Cal. 45, one magazine with six live bullets for a Cal. 35 rifle, and one magazine with five bullets for Cal. 22; three cell phones; and P11,040 “drug money.”

Meanwhile, while Villamor was being arrested, PDEA, police and Philippine Army elements served ten other search warrants against other members of the Gunnawa clan for murder.

All search warrants were issued by Marino M. Dela Cruz, executive judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 22, National Capital Judicial Region.

A number of endangered fruit bats, being offered as delicacies in a restaurant owned by the clan, were also rescued.

Cases for illegal possession of drugs and firearms were being prepared against Villamor at press time.
The Gunnawa crime clan, which Villamor allegedly led with his three uncles, VirgilioGunnawa, Sylvester Gunnawa and CosmeGunnawa, had reportedly long dominated drug trafficking activities in Tabuk City.

The PDEA report said the clan had been into other organized and syndicated crimes in Northern Luzon like carnapping, robbery/hold-up, gun for hire, operation of gambling dens, gunrunning, killings, among others.

The report added Villamor also controlled the “Acetylene Gang” operating in Isabela, runs a security agency, and was cadet of the Philippine Military Academy and law school but dropped out.

Operating units were composed of personnel from Cordillera and Region 2 PDEA, police Cordillera regional anti-illegal drugs special operations task group and 21st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.