Monday, September 08, 2008 4 men rob resto of P69T sales By Mia E. Abellana Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A FLEEING robber held a woman hostage by the roadside Saturday night after two policemen, who were about to eat in a nearby restaurant, chanced upon him.
But because he was already surrounded by a horde of police operatives and Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) members all aiming their guns at him, Garry Escalamado Namanas tossed his .45 pistol aside and surrendered after a 30-minute stand-off near a telecommunications company building in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.
The police said Garry was one of two men who robbed the workers of Neo-Neo Grill and Restaurant on Juan Luna Ave. of their P69,000 sales, which they were about to remit to their employer.
Garry named the restaurant’s security guard Rey Adlawan, Anecito Santander and his nephew Rodelio Namanas as part of the robbery. However, Rodelio, who allegedly owned the firearm, and Santander, who got the loot and escaped through a taxicab, are at large.
Police will file charges against the four suspects today.
Snack
According to PO2s Jerybel Lerio and Jonas Tahanlangit, they went to Neo-Neo Grill at around 11 p.m. to eat after conducting a two-hour checkpoint on F. Cabahug St.
As they were about to park their car, they noticed a commotion near a telecommunication company building across the street.
They saw bystanders who seemed to be chasing someone. When they got out of the car, they heard someone shout, “tulisan (a robber)!”
Tahanlangit intercepted Garry while Lerio stayed on the street to block vehicles from passing through so the suspect could not hail a cab to escape.
Seeing he was nearly trapped, Garry grabbed Jovita Lazarte, who was with her family waiting to catch a ride, and poked a gun at her.
Lerio said they immediately called for back-up while Tahanlangit told Garry to surrender.
Garry, though, initially refused to give himself up and inched away, dragging Lazarte along while he tried to find a ride.
Lerio said a cab passed by but did not stop.
Seeing the futility of fighting back after Mobile Patrol Group, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB) and Swat teams already surrounded him at the corner of
F. Cabahug St. and Juan Luna Ave., Garry surrendered after 30 minutes.
Left behind
Garry and Santander reportedly robbed Neo-Neo Grill employees Roger and Gelyn Comaling who had with them P69,000 and were about to leave the restaurant to remit the cash to their employer, who lived in the Mabolo area.
As the two employees boarded their motorcycle, the robbers allegedly declared a robbery, grabbed the bag containing the cash, and ran away.
The two men then hailed a taxicab. But while Santander managed to board the vehicle before it sped off, Garry failed to take the ride because the cab’s passenger door behind the driver was locked.
Bystanders then began chasing Garry, which caught the attention of Lerio and Tahanlangit.
A follow-up operation led the police to Sitio Tangke II, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, where security guard Adlawan was arrested.
Hours after Garry and Adlawan’s arrest, policemen combing the area around Barangay Mambaling recovered a bag containing P1,663.25, believed to be part of the loot.
Authorities are investigating the man who owns the house where the money was recovered.
Garry and Adlawan are now detained at the Cebu City Police Office stockade.
They reportedly planned the Neo-neo Grill robbery for two weeks.
Adlawan, however, told Sun.Star Cebu that he had no idea they were planning to rob the restaurant.
He admitted mentioning to his companions that the employees remit the day’s proceeds to their employers every night, but did not think a robbery was being hatched.
“Blind gyud ko ana. Wa ko nag-expect nga ila tong buhaton (I was left in the dark on what they were really up to, and did not expect that they would do such an act),” Adlawan said.
Garry said it was Santander who kept on pressuring him to go along with the plan.
“Nisugot nalang ko sa kadugayan kay nangina-hanglan man pud ko ug kwarta (In the end, I agreed to the plan because I needed money anyway),” Garry told Sun.Star Cebu.
He said he had three children to support and a security guard’s salary is not enough.
Related
Garry said that using Adlawan’s tip, they observed Comaling’s every move last Aug. 23 to find out if she still follows the same routine.
Last Saturday, after Garry was through with his work at an Asiatown I.T. Park establishment, he and Santander met up to pull off the heist.
Garry and Adlawan both claimed it was the first time they committed such a crime.
The police said all four suspects are somehow related to each other.
Aside from Rodelio being Garry’s nephew, Adlawan is Rodelio’s cousin. Santander is reportedly living with Adlawan’s cousin.
Both Adlawan and Garry said they got to know Santander only recently and were not sure of his background.
Garry, however, said Santander mentioned he had a murder case in Zamboanga del Sur.
Garry hails from Butuan in Mindanao.
He and Adlawan also alleged to Sun.Star Cebu that the police maltreated them.
Garry showed bruises on his thighs, back and chest, while Adlawan said he was also hit in his legs.
However, they could not identify the police officers who hit them with a piece of wood.
In a separate interview, CIIB Chief George Ylanan belittled the two men’s claim, saying angry bystanders ganged up on Garry, hence his bruises.
