OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines -- The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Central Luzon on Monday declared as "solved" the March 13 murders of FHM model Scarlet Garcia and three others in Olongapo City.

Chief Superintendent Errol Pan announced the solution of the case after the Olongapo City police on Monday filed a case for murder with arson against two suspects, who were arrested in related incidents of robbery and rape in the City of San Fernando in Pampanga on April 4.

The two suspects were identified by the Pampanga police as Ferdinand Cadenas and JR Mojico. The Olongapo police, however, identified them as Ferdinand Carderas and Jay-Ar Perez Mojica.

They were implicated in the Olongapo murders after the results of ballistic tests done by the PNP crime laboratory in Camp Crame showed that a bullet and a cartridge used in Olongapo were fired from a gun recovered in the San Fernando cases, Superintendent Daisy Babor, chief of the PNP regional crime laboratory, told reporters on Monday.

The specimens which were subjected to cross-matching were a "9 mm slightly deformed jacketed fired bullet marked MAA-4-08" and a "9 X 29 mm fired cartridge case marked MAA-1-08 to MAA-5-08" found at the crime scene in Garcia's apartment and a "9mm Parabellum V. Bernadelli SRA model P018S pistol with serial number 303240 marked RCS4," said Chief Insp. Ronald Yusi, forensic firearms examiner.

Microscopic examination and comparison of the bullet and cartridge "revealed the same individual characteristics with the test bullets and cartridge cases fired from the 9mm Parabellum," said a part of the two-page report by Superintendent Reynaldo de Guzman, forensic firearms examiner and chief of the PNP national firearms identification division.

Senior Superintendent Liza Sabong, chief of the PNP directorial staff, noted De Guzman's report.

"The specimens really matched," Pan said.

Senior Superintendent Keith Singian, Pampanga police director, said the Parabellum gun was recovered from Cadenas during the arrest. Mojico, who initially identified himself as John Ariel Santos, held a .45 cal. gun.

The two are detained at the Pampanga provincial jail as they await prosecution for robbery and multiple rape cases in two courts in San Fernando.

In the Olongapo case, Cadenas, 21, and Mojico, 23, were named respondents together with some John Does. Their three cohorts, who Singian said belonged to the Galindez and Sako gangs, have been the subjects of a manhunt since last week.

"This case is solved but it is not yet closed," Pan told reporters, referring to pursuit operations against the three other suspects.

Cadenas and Mojico were not presented to reporters in Monday's press conference in Camp Olivas in Pampanga or taken to Olongapo City.

But the two had denied involvement in the Olongapo murders, Singian said.

Yusi said the ballistic findings provided "conclusive evidence" against the two suspects.

Senior Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta, Olongapo police chief and head of the Task Force Scarlet, said the witnesses who saw two men entering and leaving Garcia's apartment at Gordon Heights here on the night before the four victims were found, also identified the two arrested suspects.

Garcia, George Vitug Castor Jr., Von Mark Bandejas and Racheil Estacio (identified in some police reports as Rachel Estacio) were found sprawled in the living room and toilet of Garcia's apartment, all with bullet wounds in their heads.

Villacorta, however, said the police have yet to establish the motive for the murders. He said the police are also awaiting the results of another test to determine if the suspects also raped Garcia and Estacio, her cousin.

Gerardo Bandejas, father of Bandejas, said he was not satisfied with the arrest of the two suspects.

He said all the culprits, including the mastermind, should be arrested and jailed.

Pan, noting that four other similar incidents had occurred in Pampanga and Bataan, ordered police directors in those provinces to submit specimens for cross-matching.

The regional police were collating cases with similar modus operandi, he said.

Singian said reports gathered by the Pampanga police showed that the Galindez and Sako gangs operate in Central Luzon and Metro Manila, using young men in robbery, murder and rape cases.

Asked if the police acted fast in this case because some of the victims in the San Fernando cases belonged to the family of Pampanga Board Member Raul Macalino, Pan said: "No. We cracked this case because Attorney Macalino and his neighbors closely coordinated with us."

The San Fernando cases had disturbed the peace in residential subdivisions. Nightly after the incidents, village councils have done foot patrols on the order of Mayor Oscar Rodriguez.