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Saturday, October 04, 2003
Moneychanger robbed of P6.5M
By Ruby P. Silubrico and Ronilo Ladrido Pamonag
ILOILO -- Broad daylight did not deter unidentified armed men from stopping a moneychanger's service vehicle and carting away at least P6.5 million Friday morning.
The perpetrators, who were aboard a taxi they stole earlier in the day, cornered the Tamaraw FX service vehicle of Princeworld Money Changer in front of Robinson's Place Iloilo along Quezon St. around 9:30 a.m. Friday.
The Princeworld service vehicle was transporting money from a local bank to its office with four of its employees when the robbery took place.
Eyewitness Sonny Dalanon, who owns a store in front of Robinson's Place, said the perpetrators' vehicle blocked the path of the Tamaraw FX.
Three of the unidentified perpetrators who were carrying short firearms proceeded towards the Tamaraw FX, forcibly opened the window and ordered the Princeworld employees to turn over the money bags to them.
The employees - Delia Asinjo, Mercy Magbanua and Cristina Jimenez - initially hesitated to hand over the bags but the perpetrators fired a warning shot that eventually prompted them to give up.
Initial reports revealed the bag Asinjo was holding contained around P1.5 million, while the two other bags contained a total of about P5 million.
The armed men left towards Valeria St., about two blocks away, where they disembarked and boarded a mini-van that they later abandoned at Sinikway, Lapuz in La Paz District.
Dondie de Leon, cousin of mini-van owner Jonathan Mercado, said he borrowed the vehicle from Mercado last Friday for his trip to Oton.
De Leon said the vehicle was also borrowed by his employee, John Alido, for the use of his friend Boyet, to fetch the buyer of their fighting cocks.
He said he was surprised when he learned the vehicle was used as a getaway vehicle of the robbery suspects.
"I didn't know that Boyet used the van for their illegal business," de Leon said.
Meanwhile, city police director Policarpio Segubre said they already identified one of the armed men but withheld their identities pending further confirmation.
Segubre said Boyet lives in La Paz, and they even raided his house but he was able to escape.
In the residence of a certain Apolinario Tillon in San Lorenzo, La Paz, policemen recovered two .45 caliber pistols supposedly used by the perpetrators in the daring heist.
Driver
Meanwhile, Rolando Torpio, the driver of the Belle Marie taxi used by the perpetrators, said the first two armed men boarded his taxi around 8:30 a.m. in front of Biscocho Haus near Jaro Plaza.
One of the perpetrators was wearing white t-shirt and white shorts while the other had pants and a long-sleeve shirt on.
He said the two instructed him to proceed to Cubay, Jaro, where the third man, also clad in a white t-shirt and short pants joined them.
When they reached San Isidro in La Paz, he was instructed to get off the driver's seat and was hogtied and gagged. He was told to sit in the back seat between the two suspects.
Torpio said when they were on their way to the city proper, he heard perpetrators calling each other "bords." One of the perpetrators who was talking in his cellphone was reportedly saying, "Ara na, ara na. Hintayin niyo lang kami (We're almost there. Just wait for us)."
"I was not able to escape because they were poking their guns at me," the driver said.
Torpio said he asked for help from jeepney drivers and security guards after they left him in Valeria Street.
Delayed response
Witnesses said policemen from the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) responded late to calls for assistance.
It reportedly took the policemen about 10 minutes to arrive at the scene of the crime even if the police station is located less than a kilometer away.
For the entire duration of the robbery, witnesses were reportedly calling the police hotline 166 but nobody answered the phone.
The witnesses added the policemen were even laughing when they arrived.
Councilor Erwin Plagata, who was among the city officials who came to the scene, said the witnesses relayed to him the police only arrived just as the robbers were escaping. RPS/RLP
(October 4, 2003 issue)
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