Stolen motorcycles alarm Cotabato police, villagers

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- The series of motorcycle theft incidents in North Cotabato province last week has alarmed the police and motorists.

In nearby Makilala town, two motorcycles were stolen in two separate incidents last week.

On Thursday, unidentified suspects stole the Honda XRM motorcycle with a licensed plate MK 4040 and owned by Arlaie Fernandez of Poblacion, Makilala.

Three days later, another Honda XRM 125 motorcycle owned by Glorianne Anonuevo was also stolen. Anonuevo's motorcycle has a licensed plate UN 8844.

Both motorcycles were padlocked and parked inside the owners' houses.

On December 31, robbers shot dead a driver after they snatched his motorcycle along the national highway in Kabacan town. On the same day, members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) recovered in a grassy lot in Kidapawan City the body of a motorcycle driver. His motorcycle was also missing, reports said.

The increase in the number of motorcycle theft incidents in North Cotabato made the crime against properties one of the most serious problems in the province.

In Kidapawan City alone, the number of stolen motorcycles in 2012 totaled to 42.

Inspector Rizal Alolod, Makilala Police Station chief, said they already tapped village officials and their tanods (watchmen) as ‘force multiplier’ in their campaign against suspected motorcycle thieves.

Alolod said they already identified some of the robbery gangs operating in their town. He, however, refused to identify them in public for fear it might jeopardize their operations.