FOUR armed men who introduced themselves as agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) robbed Oro Sugbu, a pawnshop and jewelry store along Colon St. in Barangay Kalubihan, Cebu City, past 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
On the same day, a couple was robbed inside their home in Toledo City while a Japanese-American was found killed in Liloan town.
Video footage captured by the pawnshop’s surveillance camera shows four men wearing hats and face masks suddenly arriving and announcing that they were there to serve an arrest warrant against the store’s security guard.
One of them suddenly jumped over the display cabinets and grabbed all the gold jewelry off the shelf before handing them over to his companion who was carrying a bag. The other two, armed with long guns, acted as lookouts.
The heist was over in less than two minutes.
The perpetrators fled on two motorcycles. The two who were carrying long firearms sat in the back, and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
According to some witnesses, the robbers turned towards Leon Kilat St. before disappearing.
No one dared to call the police while the robbery was going on out of fear.
The two security guards in the adjacent establishment hid inside because they had no service firearms.
As of this writing, the Carbon Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the area, has yet to provide an estimate of the value of all the jewelry that was taken.
Witness’ testimony
A witness going by the nickname Jun, a shoe repairman who set up shop in front of Oro Sugbo, said as soon as the four robbers showed up, they pointed their weapons at him and ordered him to leave.
According to him, they identified themselves as NBI agents and told him they were there to arrest the security guard.
“Giingnan ra ko nga hawa diha. Nidagan nako didto kay pusilon pa lang ta. Akong giingnan ang mga tawo nga ayaw mo’g agi diha kay gitulis ang pawnshop,” he said.
(They told me to leave, so I ran for fear of getting shot. I told the people not to go there because the pawnshop was being robbed.)
Another witness, Tata, a jewelry cleaner who witnessed the whole incident, said one of the robbers yelled when they entered the establishment: “The guard is wanted. We are from the NBI. Don’t move.”
He said aside from the M14 rifles, the perpetrators also had handguns tucked into their waistbands.
“Kuyaw kaayo, sir, kay mga M14 ang armas unya naa pa gyud gisuk-suk sa hawak. Unya human sila nanulis sakay dayon sila sa motor. Gisaka pa ang armas, walay mga kurat,” Tata said.
(It was terrible, sir, because they had M14s and handguns concealed around their waists. After the robbery, they hopped on board the motorcycle with their weapons mounted, seemingly unfazed).
Carbon Police Station Chief Maj. Miles Dumoslog said it took a few minutes for the store employees to notify the police because they were worried about their safety.
Because of the robbers’ use of high-caliber firearms and their method of robbery, authorities think the criminals are not from Cebu.
“Yan ang tingnan natin kung taga saan ito dahil mga high- powered firearms yung dala nila, so i-conduct natin ang investigation,” Dumoslog said.
(We will find out where they come from because they had high-powered firearms).
Dumoslog said they are currently tracking down all security cameras in the downtown area.
When asked if there were any police personnel assigned nearby at the time of the heist, Dumoslog answered that there were but they were conducting foot patrol.
However, he said one police officer was not in his designated outpost and is now being investigated by his superior.
The aforementioned police officer reasoned that he had business to transact.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Rey Gealon has appealed to the public to cooperate in the police investigation, especially if they witnessed the brazen robbery.
He said security footage in the area would certainly be helpful in identifying those responsible.
Official’s advice
He advised business owners, especially those in the downtown area, to hire security guards and have round-the-clock CCTV (closed-circuit television) monitoring.
He pointed out that police patrols and high police visibility are indispensable in deterring crimes as Christmas approaches. They already anticipate the presence of more criminal elements, including those from outside the city, who are waiting to prey on unsuspecting victims, he said.
“We would like to remind the businesses to have security guards, especially those that have valuable merchandise. They should also have CCTV... and we hope the police can track down the suspects so that they can prevent similar incidents from happening again... (It’s all about) vigilance ra man jud... We haven’t heard of any such (crime gang that penetrated Cebu) reports from the police based on our peace and order council meeting,” he said.
Charles Kenneth Co, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, said he was relieved that nobody was hurt during the incident.
“It’s probably, I don’t know how to add it, but when things like this happen, let’s not try to be a hero ba kay... para (so that) no one can get hurt and just let the police do their job."
Broke into house
Also on Saturday, a couple in Purok Bagay 1, Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City in southern Cebu lost P1 million in cash and jewelry to three men who broke into their house around 1 a.m.
Tony Cuizon, a 67-year-old widower, and his live-in partner had been awakened by the ruckus but pretended to be fast asleep.
According to the Toledo City police investigation headed by Lt. Col. Manolo Salvatierra, the burglars entered through an unlocked glass sliding door window.
Hogtied
At 6:05 a.m., 72-year-old Japanese-American Doug Hiroshi Sugawara was found dead inside his room in his house in Purok Red Rose, Verrie Hills Subdivision, Barangay Yati, Liloan in northern Cebu.
Liloan Police Station Chief Maj. Eric Gingoyon said the victim had a wound in his head and was hogtied with masking tape.
His 30-year-old wife Roxan, who slept in the other room, found him on the floor lifeless.
Police are looking at robbery as a motive, but they are not discounting a personal grudge.