Sixteen people, including a young girl, four other civilians and a police commando, died following a gunbattle between suspected members of two robbery gans and policemen inside a subdivision in Parañaque City Friday night.

The shootout that took place along Sampaguita Street inside the United Parañaque Subdivision IV past 8 p.m. killed Alfonso de Vera and his daughter, seven-year old Lea Aliana.

The slain member of the police Special Action Force, meanwhile, was unidentified as of posting time.

Director Leopoldo Bataoil, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, declined to name the fallen commando until his relatives are informed of his death.

The three other civilians slain during the shootout were unnamed as of this posting.

Police said 10 suspected members of the Waray-Waray and Ozamis robbery groups died in the gunbattle. They remain unidentified.

Meanwhile, the shootout also wounded three policemen, including Senior Superintendent Eleuterio Gutierrez of the Highway Patrol Group.

Bataoil said Gutierrez is in critical condition at the Perpetual Help Medical Center in Las Piñas City.

Two security guards and a woman were also hurt in the gunbattle.

Three gangmen survived and were able to escape. A manhunt is underway after they fled on board a commandeered Toyota Vios car.

Police said four suspected members of the robbery groups are now in their custody.

Bataoil appealed for calm following the deaths of the civilians. He vowed to dig deeper into the incident and said charges will be filed against policemen if proven that they fire indiscriminately.

"Minsan talagang may nadadamay na sibilyan hindi maiwasan, mag-apa-imbestiga ako. If ever ma-prove na may kasalanan 'yung SAF, mananagot sila. Pero intindihin sana nila 'yung trabahio ng mga pulis. It's a difficult situation," Bataoil told ABS-CBN News around midnight.

Reports said that de Vera and his daughter died after policemen opened fire at their Isuzu Crosswind vehicle. Probers suspect that the police team, composed of SAF, HPG and NCRPO members, mistook the Crosswind as one of the suspects' vehicles.

A witness said that SAF members trained their guns and opened fire on de Vera even after he alighted from the vehicle.

"Nakita ko, nakita ko niratrat nalang 'yung sasakyan ng mga operatives ng SAF kahit lumabas na si Alfonso ng sasakyan, pinagbabarilo pa rin. Di tinigilan hangang mamatay s'ya ng nakaluhod," said the witness.

Bataoil said the operation took place after police received information that the suspects were planning to raid the Southern Transport Inc. office along Sampaguita Street. With reports from ABS-CBN News and radio dzMM