AROUND P100,000 in cash was stolen during a robbery at a ThreeSixty Pharmacy branch along North Road, Barangay Jagobiao in Mandaue City early Tuesday morning, June 3, 2025.
According to Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) spokesperson Lt. Col. Mercy Villaro, an estimated three to five suspects were believed to have broken into the establishment by boring a hole through a wall connected to an adjacent vacant lot.
The pharmacy had no security guard on duty.
The incident was discovered around 5:50 a.m. by the pharmacy’s manager, Jam Fuente, 39, a resident of Sitio Tundan, Barangay Basak.
She immediately alerted authorities after noticing the damage and signs of forced entry.
The robbery was formally reported by 7:10 a.m.
Villaro added that the investigators believe the suspects spent around three days digging through the wall, a detail that went unnoticed by employees.
“This was not a quick break-in. Based on our assessment, the wall had been tampered with over the course of several days. It’s likely the suspects had been monitoring the area and used the adjacent vacant lot to avoid being seen,” Villaro said.
She said the suspects may be locals familiar with the pharmacy’s layout and operations, as they knew where to access the structure undetected.
Authorities are still determining if other items were stolen.
As of now, no arrests have been made and the suspects remain at large.
Police are reviewing security camera footage from nearby establishments and urging the public to come forward with any information.
Heightened security
Following the incident in nearby Mandaue City, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Col. Enrico Figueroa has ordered the city’s 11 police station chiefs to heighten vigilance.
The directive includes conducting a thorough inventory of all financial institutions within their respective areas to assess and ensure the adequacy of their current security measures.
“Our instruction to all our station commanders is they will conduct an inventory in their area of responsibility of financial institutions like LBC, pawnshops, so we can see their security,” Figueroa said.
He emphasized the need to check if alarm systems are functional and if overall security protocols are complete.
Part of the heightened police work will involve investigating suspicious individuals residing near potential targets like banks and pawnshops.
Figueroa noted that it’s a common tactic for robbers, particularly those from outside the area, to study their targets by living nearby before committing a crime.
While Figueroa clarified that there is no current monitoring of new robbery groups arriving in Cebu City, he stressed that the police are not complacent. He warned that any criminals attempting to operate in the city would be apprehended with community assistance before they could act.
In a related move last month, the CCPO met with security managers of various establishments to remind them against becoming lax in their security.
To further deter criminal activity, police visibility is being significantly enhanced, especially in Cebu City’s downtown area where many financial institutions are located. Mobile patrol units have also been tasked to increase the frequency of their rounds.
The actions aim to prevent similar incidents and to proactively address potential threats to businesses and the public in Cebu City. / CAV / AYB