THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has not ruled out the possibility that more than six suspects or an organized crime group were involved in the infamous jewelry heist in the city’s downtown area, following several footage recordings that captured the perpetrators' movements.
DCPO spokesperson, Police Captain Hazel Tuazon confirmed to SunStar Davao on Monday, March 3, 2025, that a thorough investigation into the robbery at a pawn shop in Ilustre Street, which occurred in broad daylight on February 26 involving valuables estimated to be worth between P40 million and P100 million, is ongoing. Authorities are continuing their manhunt for the possible five remaining suspects who escaped.
“Padayon gihapon atoang investigation mahitungod ani kay subay sa mga CCTV footages nga atoang nakuha, dili lang tulo, kundi unom ka mga suspects ang involved ani gamit ang duha ka motor (Our investigation is still ongoing regarding this incident because, based on the CCTV footage we obtained, there are not just three, but six suspects involved, using two motorcycles),” Tuazon revealed in a phone interview.
“Nakig-coordinate na usab ta sa suspect nga nadakpan ug ingon niya dili siya taga-Davao, ug native siya sa Albuera, Leyte nga naay pamilya usab sa Cavite (We have also coordinated with the suspect who was arrested, and he stated that he is not from Davao; he is originally from Albuera, Leyte and also has family in Cavite),” Tuazon added.
When asked if the apprehended suspect had any prior cases, Tuazon revealed that the suspect had already been charged under Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, for his involvement with illegal substances.
On a separate note, Task Force Davao (TFD) Civil-Military Operations Officer Major Ronnel Avanzado spoke to SunStar Davao in an interview on the same day, stating that they are closely monitoring the incident in collaboration with the Davao police. He said the checkpoint in the region remains tight and strict, adding, “We cannot yet disclose the full report, but rest assured that we are closely monitoring the incident.”
DCPO acting city director Police Colonel Hansel Marantan already refuted online rumors claiming that the jewelry heist was orchestrated to damage the city's reputation or a part of a Simulation Exercise (Simex), a drill intended to assess emergency response. Marantan made it clear that the incident was not staged and assured the public that the investigation is proceeding diligently.
Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Baste Duterte announced in his “Basta Dabawenyo” podcast earlier this week that he aims to remain unbiased and objective in analyzing the recent jewelry heist incident, adding that as a leader, it is crucial for him to carefully consider all aspects of the case before making any assumptions.
He acknowledged the complexity of such incidents, where various factors, such as the involvement of outsiders or potential premeditated actions, could contribute to the crime.
“I would like to sound unbiased when giving my analysis of this incident. Ang tingin ko, puwede naman kasi talaga na, that individual na galing ng Leyte, he was asked to do a job here in Davao, kung illegal man o hindi niya alam, doon dinala at yan ang ginawa nila. Or it could be na sinadya, it is easy to pay, madali bayaran ang isang tao gumawa and you know a promise of a reward pag nagawa nila yun, something a criminal activity kasi sa gutom ngayon ng Pilipino, sa sobrang hirap,” he stated.
(I believe it’s possible that the individual from Leyte was simply hired to carry out a task here in Davao, whether he knew it was illegal or not. He might be brought here and told to carry out the job. Alternatively, it could have been premeditated, it's easy to pay someone to commit a crime, especially with the promise of a reward afterward. This is something that could be driven by the current hardships faced by many Filipinos, given the dire economic situations).
He continued, “Sa experience ko bilang alkalde ng Davao we have similar incidents – hold up – pero mostly pag nahuhuli namin or if we solve the case inside job talaga yan kadalasan kaya nag succeed. Pero ito (robbery) parang hindi nila alam ang gagawin nila because sira yung motor mo, naka tsinelas lang, pula pa yung brief mo, yung ang makita ko na medyo parang skeptical din ako kasi ang mga crimes talaga they have to be well planned. Usually sa mga nakita namin dito sa Davao, alam na nila ang gagawin nila, pero ito parang wala, pumunta lang doon (pawnshop), sige you make a scene and kami na bahala or you get something in exchange, puwedeng ganon kasi.”
(From my experience as the mayor of Davao, we've had similar incidents of robbery or hold-ups. However, most of the time, when we catch the culprits or solve the case, it turns out to be an inside job. That’s usually why they succeed. But with this particular robbery, it seems like the suspects didn’t really know what they were doing because your motorcycle’s broken, you're wearing slippers, and you’re even wearing red briefs. I find that a bit suspicious because crimes like these are usually well-planned. From what we've seen here in Davao, criminals usually know exactly what they're doing. But in this case, it seemed like they just went to the pawnshop, and told, ‘go and make a scene, we’ll take care of the rest,’ or ‘you’ll get something in exchange.’ It might be that way).
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