MANILA — Philippine police killed five suspected car thieves and robbers in a gunbattle on Sunday north of Manila in an ongoing anti-crime crackdown, officials said. Police recovered four pistols, including one with a silencer, a grenade and two pairs of handcuffs from the suspects, who were riding in an SUV and a motorcycle when they opened fire on officers at a road checkpoint in Bulacan province, Senior Superintendent Ferdinand Divina said. Four of the gunmen were killed, while another died while being brought to a hospital, according to Divina. Violent crimes are a concern in the Philippines, along with kidnappings for ransom and extortion by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the south. The militants are still holding a number of captives, including a Dutch wildlife photographer, a South Korean man and a Japanese tourist in their jungle hideouts. Abu Sayyaf militants on Sunday freed a volunteer day care center teacher in southern Sulu province after four months of jungle captivity. Villagers saw him wandering around Jolo town and brought him to a military camp, where doctors checked him, military officials said. He and another teacher were snatched by the militants in Talusan town in southern Zamboanga Sibugay province last March and taken to an Abu Sayyaf jungle camp in predominantly Muslim Sulu. The militants had earlier freed the other teacher, Sulu military commander Col. Alan Arrojado said. It was not immediately clear if ransom was paid, but Arrojado said a manhunt and constant operations helped pressure the militants. Some hostages have been held for as long as two or three years as the militants negotiated for a higher ransom. — Agencies
