The shootout, in which a police officer was also injured, occurred in the afternoon at Tanauan village when the police and military personnel manning a checkpoint tried to flag down two sports utility vehicles (SUVs), Xinhua quoted spokesperson Colonel Generoso Bolina as saying.
Instead of stopping at the checkpoint, the suspects shot at the security personnel, prompting the latter to retaliate, the official said.
The shootout left 13 men in the SUVs dead, but also injured a police officer, he added.
