A GOVERNMENT employee from General Santos City will be traveling back to Cebu after spotting his stolen iPhone among dozens of devices recovered by local police following the Sinulog festival.
The owner, identified only as “Rudy,” 41, had traveled to the city to celebrate Sinulog but lost his phone inside a local mall last Sunday afternoon, Jan. 18, 2026.
Rudy reported that mall security initially ignored his request to view CCTV footage, claiming the cameras were non-functional.
He said the mall staff only acted quickly after he identified himself as a member of a special project under the Office of the President.
“I reported it first to the mall security because I wanted to have the CCTV checked. There was a CCTV camera in front of me and another one at my side, but no one from them really helped me,” Rudy said in Cebuano.
“If I hadn’t introduced myself, I probably wouldn’t have been assisted and brought to the police station to have the incident officially recorded,” he added.
Discouraged, Rudy returned to General Santos City on Jan. 20. However, his hope was restored after seeing a social media post showing 154 iPhones recovered by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) from a known fence for stolen goods.
He identified his phone through a distinct logo on its back.
“The police here in Cebu are very skilled. They quickly recovered many of the stolen cellphones. I’m very thankful because they gave justice to those who lost their belongings, especially since it was a big celebration like Sinulog,” he said.
Lt. Col. Jose Los Baños, CCPO information officer, reported that 119 of the 154 recovered phones have already been claimed by their owners. Authorities have filed charges against two suspects arrested during the operation.
Police are also currently tracing the pickpockets responsible for selling the stolen devices near Leon Kilat St. / AYB