TWO houses were ransacked in Sitio Himongbongan, Barangay Taloot, Argao town, southern Cebu at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
The first incident took place at the house of 32-year-old Chula Manolo Mamalias, 32, pregnant of five months and engaged in lending and selling meat.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu, Mamallas revealed that while they were asleep, over ten armed men broke into their home, claimed to be members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and stole several of their possessions, including two motorbikes and a multicab valued at P175,000.
She said that she was then told to get into a Mitsubishi Strada pick-up and that they kept asking her where they kept their illegal drugs, but she denied their allegation until they arrived in Barangay Valladolid, Carcar City, where they told her to get out and gave her P200 to pay for her return trip.
She also said that the perpetrators hit her in the head and covered her face with plastic, forcing her to rip it open with her nails in order to breathe.
Her husband Alberto said they were able to acquire properties because of their business, not because of illegal drugs.
The 32-year-old Jovani Gecali Camillo was the owner of the second home in Sitio Himongbongan that was broken into by unidentified men wearing bonnets.
Camillo was arrested two years ago because of illegal drugs and was released on probation after posting a bail bond.
Siah Pacheco, Camillo's live-in partner and a former overseas Filipino worker in Kuwait, stated in an interview that the attackers broke through their door to enter their home, but her boyfriend managed to escape through the back door.
She said that the men went through their stuff and took the P140,000 placed in a suitcase that was meant to be used to pay for their other house that was pawned, along with three cell phones, a tablet computer, a motorcycle, and a sound system.
Pacheco clarified that Camillo had already stopped selling drugs after being arrested.
The victim said they reported the matter to Argao Police Station after the criminals threatened to go back and kill them if they squeal. (DVG, TPT)