Cops nab three suspects in P3.2-M Gaisano Mall heist

So obsessed are people with the election campaign, there hardly was any attention paid to the fast police solution of the Holy Thursday heist at the Gaisano Mall in San Carlos City.

But the combined efforts of the San Carlos City, Calatrava and Bacolod police led to the arrest of two of the suspects on Easter Sunday in Bacolod.

A third suspect was picked up later in another Bacolod barangay. Benjamin Narboada Palmares, 20, single, was positively identified by Eddie Masayon as one of the six men who held them up on Maundy Thursday in San Carlos City.

Another suspect, Archelito Saligan Dumip-ig, 24, married, stayed in the residence of Annalyn Espinosa Tayson whenever he was in Bacolod.

SPO2 Vicente Canuday said Tayson voluntarily turned over to the cops P19,500, part of the purported P45,000 share of the suspect.

Palmares and Dumip-ig were transported back to San Carlos City for incarceration and to face the charges filed against them. Police said they are still hunting down three Tagalog-speaking companions of the two, who reportedly furnished them the guns used in the heist, the first to have happened in San Carlos City.

Gaisano’s Alvin Calvo was driving a Pajero, along with female employees Marisa de la Torre and Karen Ang, to deposit the money in a local bank when he was flagged down by four men wielding caliber .45 pistols.

Calvo was told to get out of the Pajero, after which the driver immediately informed the Gaisano officials nearby who, in turn, alerted the police who immediately mounted a pursuit.

The cops missed the suspects whom they had expected to proceed to Calatrava town. Instead, they turned left at Buenavista, and there dumped the two women employees. They then escaped on foot.

Region 6 police authorities hailed the well-coordinated moves by the San Carlos, Calatrava and Bacolod police. Now, the important thing is to bag the Tagalog-speaking members of the holdup ring.

But there was another major holdup. This was the heist of livestock buyer Willy Sared Garlet, 40, of Bago City. He lost P127,000 intended for the purchase of livestock in the Oringao livestock market Wednesday morning.

Garlet told police they were flagged down by a certain Crisanto Dehing Anar at the poblacion crossing in Kabankalan City. Anar reportedly boarded the vehicle with three companions.

Talisay Voters’ List Missing

Both sides in the political battle concentrated themselves on their drive for conversions. All sides trumpet gains and groups joining their respective camps. But somehow, something shocking intruded into the melee.

This was the reported mysterious deletion of Talisay City’s certified voters list master file. Another DCM (data capturing machine) was found to have been pried open.

The seriousness of that incident was highlighted when provincial Comelec supervisor Marsha Cordero requested the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the "mystery." Cordero was also ordered by regional supervisor Vicente Gaborne to temporarily take over the Talisay Comelec office in concurrent capacity pending the results of the investigation into the mess by the poll body’s investigators from Manila.

Yesterday, NBI fingerprint experts took samples from the tampered machines. They are also issuing subpoenas to the local Comelec employees.

The missing list involves 49,132 registered voters of Talisay City. What makes it worse is that there is a torrid contest between re-electionist Anthony Lizares and challenger Ramon Lacson. The latter, although purportedly still committed to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is backed by re-electionist Rep. Jose Carlos Lacson. Running unopposed, Lacson recently shifted his support to presidential bet Fernando Poe Jr. but said he respects the other Lacson’s decision.

Cordero gave assurance that the Talisay elections can push through. She insisted that the poll body has a back-up file of the voters’ list stored in CDs.

Lizares, however, said, "There is no way of verifying the correctness of the alleged back-up file."

Lizares focused attention on relieved supervisor Susan Araiza. He claimed that Araiza had not done anything to correct the problem. She reportedly worked over time during the Holy Week but was replaced by Socorito Solon.

He expressed suspicions that when Araiza could no longer proceed with her allegedly nefarious plans, the voters list was instead "deleted to erase the evidence against her."

Lizares also contended that Araiza failed to post the list of Talisay City voters last Feb. 10 as required by the Comelec.

These allegations were vigorously denied by Araiza in an interview with local radio stations. She said the tampering of the list may have been an inside job, but she refused to name the suspect.

The reason why she failed to turn over the Comelec office as scheduled last Tuesday morning, Araiza said, was due to the sudden discovery of the missing certified list of city voters.

Cordero, when she took over the Talisay Comelec office yesterday, voluntarily presented to local mediamen the back-up copies of what was found missing, pointing out that whenever a list was prepared, there was always a back-up copy.

Cordero also said the claim by presidential bet FPJ that 200 ballot boxes shipped to Negros Occidental were missing, was not validated.

"We are readying the list and inventory of the ballot boxes received," Cordero stressed.

NPA Team Discovered

The Negros Oriental police has stepped up security following the reported sighting of 60 armed men, believed to be members of the New People’s Army, in Siaton town’s Sitio Balastro.

Provincial director Superintendent Amaron Momok said he has sent a team to verify the report.

Reports said the NPA guerrillas came from Bohol and Cebu.