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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Security guard ‘behind’ heist
By Jovy S. Taghoy
With Rene H. Martel & Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- Police have identified four of five suspects in the robbery of a Metrobank collection teller last Monday within the vicinity of the Cebu City Hall.
Supt. Pablo Labra II, deputy director for operations at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), also told reporters they have recovered a metallic gray Toyota Lite Ace van (TGE 779), reportedly one of the vehicles the robbers used.
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Members of the Bohol Robbery Group, Labra said, are believed to have robbed teller Grace Maglangit near the employees’ entrance of La Nueva Supermart at the corner of Magallanes and Burgos Sts.
For Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the efficiency in pulling off last Monday’s heist showed that the robbery was a well-studied operation.
That a former security guard is considered a suspect in the robbery bolsters his suspicion, he said.
“The police now have suspects but they’re not sure yet, and they include a former security guard. It’s very clear that they have someone who’s familiar with the system,” Osmeña told a news conference.
Mars
The mayor reminded the banks, high-risk financial and retail establishments to stay alert as the robbers who remain at large are expected to strike again.
To reduce the number of robberies and ensure law enforcement units can respond quickly, Osmeña decided to offer the mobile alarm remote system (Mars) to high-risk establishments for free, after the La Nueva robbery.
In a separate interview, City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said the incident has more than ever highlighted the need for establishments to install security devices.
He will present to the council Wednesday a proposed measure that seeks to require banks and similar establishments to set up security devices like cameras.
For his part, Cebu City Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. said that policemen assigned as “tourist cops” at Magellan’s Cross have to explain their absence when four robbers struck outside nearby La Nueva Supermart.
“Usa na sa gusto natong mahibaw-an, nganong wala ka-establish og police presence, nganong wala’y nakaresponde dayon. Hain ang pulis, wa ba magligoy-ligoy (We want to find out why the police failed to respond right away. Where were they and what were they up to?),” said the chairman of the City Council committee on public order and safety.
Fees waived
Four policemen assigned in the area—two beat patrol and two tourist cops—are facing an investigation on why they were not in their posts when the robbery occurred.
Labra said the four policemen have initially given their side, but he found their explanations unacceptable.
Like the mayor, Jakosalem said the security system should be integrated with the Mars, which works by hooking up subscribers’ mobile phones to a central system at City Hall, with an assurance that an alarm will reach authorities in just three seconds.
When Mars was still being established, banks objected to the fees imposed.
After the mayor waived the fee, several representatives have gone to City Hall to have their establishments enrolled in the system, said Kristine Gutierez, a member of the Mayor’s Management Team (MMT) he tasked to evaluate applications.
Last Monday, Osmeña asked those interested to contact Gutierez (0917-7222344) for information. Forms are available at the MMT office on the eighth floor of the City Hall annex.
Familiar van
At least three witnesses have identified the perpetrators through the police rogues’ gallery, Labra said.
One personality identified by the witnesses was a new member of the group, police learned.
Labra said they are hoping to arrest at least one of the suspects before they file the complaints.
The van was abandoned along Magallanes St., a few meters away from the employees’ entrance.
A witness recalled that several days before the attack, he frequently spotted the van parked near the establishment.
During the robbery last Monday, the witness said, one of the robbers, armed with a KG-9 machine pistol, came out from the vehicle and pumped bullets into the armored van.
Based on the records from the Land Transportation Office, the van is registered to a woman from Las Piñas.
Video
Labra, though, did not rule out the possibility that the van could have been stolen from the woman.
Video from the security camera La Nueva installed at the employees’ entrance revealed that two armed robbers executed the heist in less than one minute.
The footage shows Maglangit being escorted by security guard Procorro Esguerra as she left through the employees’ entrance past 11 a.m.
Before they could board the armored van, however, shots rang out. The robbers aimed at Esguerra and another security guard, Medard Rama.
The robbers then grabbed two bags where the cash was placed, and left.
Several witnesses said the armed robbers fled on two motorcycles driven by their cohorts. They headed towards the port area.
Esguerra and Rama, wounded in different parts of their bodies, are confined at the Cebu City Medical Center.
According to a GMA7 Balitang Bisdak report, their wives are appealing for financial assistance to buy the medicines the guards need.
Dina Esguerra, who is four months pregnant, also appealed for help in raising the blood her husband needs. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (August 15, 2007 issue)
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