Travel, moneychanging firm in Gorordo robbed

Three armed men robbed a travel and moneychanger company on Gorordo Avenue yesterday morning and made off with US-dollar and Philippine currency bills, and some personal items of the firm's staff.

The robbery was done swiftly because the establishment has no security guard, and the only alarm it has was pressed rather late with the robbers already gone.

Marlene Ayanggod, employee of the robbed Cinderella Travel Tours and Moneychanger, narrated that shortly before the robbery at 11 a.m., a man came as a customer and had his US$100 bill exchanged.

This man then inquired how much was the exchange rate of his US$1,000, and left saying he will be back together with another customer.

Ayanggod said the man, true to his word, came back but she failed to notice momentarily his two other companions entered the establishment.

Immediately after the man entered, he and two others pulled out their firearms and demanded the firm's money. One of the men even kicked away Ayanggod's chair for blocking the path towards the cash drawer.

A witness later revealed that he saw a man downstairs, answering his cellphone and saying "o.k na" before fleeing on a motorcycle. But other witnesses near the area said they saw three men on two motorcycles leaving the place.

Rosemarie Abueva, cousin of the firm's owner Jesselyn Abueva, said she was able to press the alarm system but the robbers already escaped with the loot.

The still unidentified robbers were described only as in their 30s and decent looking, with one of them skinhead and the other with Chinese eyes.

A firm's employee went later in the afternoon to the City Police's theft and robbery section to search the rogues gallery for possible identification or match of any of the robbers.

The employee also submitted to the police the itemized list of bills the robbers have taken. These are 68 pieces of US$100 bill, 11 pieces of US$50 bill, 16 pieces of US$20 bill, 34 pieces of US$10 bill, 14 pieces of US$5 bill, 16 pieces of $1 bill-amounting to at least US$8,000-and P35,000.

SPO1 Ulyses Ragaza said the suspects also grabbed two cellular phones of the employees, and the knapsack of computer technician Harold Ablin, which contained P2,000 cash and computer repair tools.

Meanwhile, councilor Sylvan Jack Jakosalem, who went to the scene after receiving the reports of the robbery, said he suspected the robbers could be the same people or group that robbed a collector of a moneychanger in Mabolo last week.

He noticed also the seeming laxity of the firm for having no security guard.