Waray-Waray gangs
Waray-Waray gangs (also known as Waray-Waray groups) are generic terms used in the Philippines to denote of criminal groups who are of Waray ethnicity. They originated from provinces Leyte and Samar where the majority are of Waray background, later spreading into Luzon. Most of their criminal activities involved armed robberies, but various other gangs have also dabbled in kidnapping, carnapping, gun running, assassinations, gang warfare, and narcotics sale. Their bloody confrontations with the police made them the most notorious gang in the Philippines. History Although Waray-speaking criminals have been documented in Luzon since the 1990s, it wasn't until 1997 where they first started being called Waray-Waray gangs. In that year, a Waray-Waray gang kidnapped Chinese-Filipino Virgilio and Christine Chua and their maid Analyn Simbajon. The case was dubbed by the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO) as the longest trial in the history of kidnap-for-ransom cases in the country. In 2001, a policeman by the name of Superintendent Eugenio Casalme was killed by a Waray-Waray gang during a hold-up of a bus on route to Pampanga. He was one of the passengers at that time, and when the gang members noticed his police uniform, they shot him in the chest and neck. In 2002, the house of actor and future politician Sonny Parsons was burglarized by a Waray-Waray gang. They tied him and his own family in their house and almost raped his two daughters. The actor managed to trick the gang into thinking that patrolmen were roaming around the neighborhood, which would make their escape more difficult if they stayed longer. As the gang hastily retreated, Parson got off his bindings, grabbed a pistol and shot at the suspects as they were escaping, killing three of them. In one of the bloodiest robberies in Philippine history, the Waray-Abuyog Gang shot and killed three policemen and a traffic enforcer on April 13, 2002. An unknown van parked itself in the vicinity of a community precinct in Meycauayan, Bulacan, in which a group of armed men wearing military uniforms came out. The gunmen started firing their assault rifles on the police station, killing some while wounding and scattering the others before escaping in their van. Investigators later found out that this was just a diversion. The robbers were actually robbing a large jewelry store in downtown Meycauayan, but they first attacked the precinct not only to take out the cops inside that might respond to the robbery, but also to lure the other policemen into this area while they escape with the loot. Many were killed and captured afterwards a month later. In 2003–2004, Waray-Waray kidnap gangs started targeting prominent Chinese-Filipino businessmen in several kidnapping cases. Victims include businesswoman Dominga Chu, and Coca-Cola Export Corp. finance manager Betti Chua Sy. The latter died from her injuries while in custody of the gang. A 10-year-old named Martin Guevarra was also kidnapped by gang leader Arnel Suellen. Six more abductions took place, in which each of the families paid P2 million