One of Land Bank rob suspects a PMA grad

One of the 12 suspects, indicted for the P9.4-million Land Bank robbery, was a member of Batch 85 of the Philippine Military Academy, according to Provincial Special Operations Group chief Juanito Enguerra yesterday.

Enguerra confirmed that Ceferino Serbano was a classmate at the academy who, right after graduation, joined the Philippine Air Force. Serbano moved to the PNP in 1991 but went on AWOL in 1996. He is now engaged in construction business as owner of Philways Construction, based in Cavite.

Serbano was able to post a P200,000 bail for his temporary liberty. His alleged link to the robbery group however drew suspicions that there might be some influential people behind the bank heist in Bogo town but Enguerra would not comment on this.

The other suspect, Joel Somabong, who has already gone into hiding, was an employee of the Bogo municipal government who allegedly used an old and abandoned DPWH building in the town as the hideout of the group while still in the planning stage of the robbery.

A source, who refused to be identified, said there was another municipal employee who allegedly delivered food to the group holed inside the building, using a government-owned dump truck. Enguerra also said he would request the National Bureau of Investigation to invite Serbano's brother-in-law, a certain Danny Dy, who was allegedly the caretaker of the Nissan Vanette (plate number CLA-333), to provide some details he might know about the robbery.

Authorities have so far not found yet the other vehicle used in the robbery attempt on a Land Bank armored car, also in Bogo, last June 8. Enguerra said the people involved in that foiled robbery could be the same people who succeeded in robbing the bank last August 2. - Flor Z. Perolina