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Wednesday, February 02, 2005
'No. 2 man' of robbery gang nabbed
By Mia E. Abellana
With Rene H. Martel
CEBU CITY -- The nephew of suspected robbery gang leader Rey Torres was identified Tuesday as the driver of one of the getaway motorcycles in Monday's bank heist.
Jemar Torres Mansalinog, 23, was picked up for questioning in his rented room in Paknaan, Mandaue City last Monday afternoon and held until a witness identified him.
Two others were picked up Monday afternoon, but were released after police found no basis to hold them.
Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB) Chief Pablo Labra II said Mansalinog was the number two man in Torres' alleged robbery gang.
Mansalinog, though, denied the charge, saying he was sleeping in his rented room at the time the robbery took place.
He admitted Torres was his uncle and that he was aware Torres was engaged in illegal activities, but said the last time he saw his uncle was last December yet in Mindanao.
"I even pray that he will be caught because he has destroyed our reputation," he told reporters at a press conference Tuesday.
P450T lost
Four armed men entered the East West Bank on Archbishop Reyes Ave., Cebu City at noon last Monday and took off with P458,429.92 cash, as what bank officials told the Theft and Robbery Section.
Mansalinog was reportedly left to watch the two motorcycles used as getaway vehicles a few meters away from the bank.
He also reportedly drove the motorcycle that Torres rode.
Mansalinog, also known as Dodong, is one of five men under Torres' group, as indicated in the CIIB's list of robbery groups.
The list stated that Torres was the leader of Mansalinog, Tito Jayme, Junard Saladaga, Roldan Rodriguez and Danny Tubigon, all of Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur.
They are reportedly armed with .45 pistols, 9mm pistols and an Ingram sub-machine pistol.
Magsalinog was able to identify all of those in the group except for Jayme.
Aside from the three men, he also identified a certain Danny Limutan and Nardo Abapo as cohorts of his uncle.
Security
Torres is known as Roel Torres in Zamboanga del Sur, where is wanted for a robbery case in 1997 yet, according to Ramon Magsasay Police Chief George Andam.
He allegedly fled after posting a P12,000 bail.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem criticized the management of East West Bank for its very lax security.
Only one blue guard, whom the police said was young and inexperienced, was detailed in the bank when five armed men barged inside and declared a heist.
Jakosalem said the management apparently ignored recommendations that banks nowadays should have at least four guards.
"Robbers do surveillance so they know which banks are easy to hit," he said.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama reacted to comments that the recent vigilante-style killings and the creation of the "crime suppression team" did not actually discourage the culprits from pulling off the heist.
"There are even robberies in rich countries. How much more in the Philippines? Crime will only be reduced when we become economically stable," he said.
Alarm system
Rama, who heads the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC), the highest policy-making body of the police, refused to say the police was a failure.
He only said more needs to be done to improve the police force's mobility and training.
The city police also defended their failure to implement Oplan Universe to catch the four other robbers, saying they did not get a description of the culprits right away.
Acting Cebu City Police Office Director Melvin Gayotin said he does not believe they did something wrong in blocking the major routes.
Both Gayotin and Labra explained that the alarm system the bank used was connected to their central office in Manila, not to the police.
They believe it was East West's main branch in Manila that alerted the Mobile Patrol Group (MPG), but they have yet to confirm this.
No camera
Police claimed that MPG car 231 was at the bank in just two minutes and it was only then that they got descriptions of the robbers and relayed it to the roving units.
However, they said all units were told to put up roadblocks on all major routes as soon as they received the alarm.
Gayotin said the call came long after the robbers left the bank.
For his part, Labra pointed out that the bank had no security camera and only had one security guard.
All the police can do is advise establishments to double their security measures and that the incident should serve as a wake-up call for those banks with lax security, he added.
Gayotin also said the robbery happened on a day when three of the MPG's cars were in need of repairs and could not be used. The MPG currently has six patrol cars.
He also lamented that the robbery happened after more than 100 personnel from the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) were pulled out from the CCPO for further training.
The RMG personnel were sent to Cebu City as augmentation for the Sinulog activities and their beat assignments had yet to be adjusted.
While a beat patrol officer is assigned within the Cebu Business Park area, he was at the jeepney terminal at the time the robbery took place. (With DPS of Superbalita)
(February 2, 2005 issue)
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