Three Fooda Savers guards to undergo lie-detector test

CEBU, Philippines - The three security guards of Fooda Savers Mart who were on duty when eight men robbed the said store past Sunday midnight will be made to undergo a polygraph test.

Cebu City Police Office director Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr. said the test is one step in eliminating the theory of an inside job.

Geoffrey Luna, 28, Jesse Rey Bajenting, 21, and Neil Zoren Boquecosa, 19, were guarding the said store when the robbers, three of whom wearing police athletic uniforms, broke in.

They later made off with the vault that contained over P100,000 in coins.

The CCPO chief said he has also tipped the Cebu Bankers Club about the incident because the robbers might convert the coins into cash.

The CCPO has not yet identified the robbers although it has a cartographic sketch of one of them.

They are now also checking if the robbers were the same ones who robbed Dranix Distributors Inc. in barangay Basak-San Nicolas last January 2007 because they have the same modus operandi of introducing themselves as police and wearing police uniforms.

Meanwhile, as a consequence of the Scene of the Crime Operations’ failure to go to the crime scene after the guards’ call for police assistance, PNP Crime Laboratory Chief Dr. Nestor Sator said he will issue a memorandum to all of his officials instructing them to find ways to improve their system.

Sator said that while the investigation is ongoing, SOCO desk officer PO3 Jorlick Roma who was liable of the said failure will be relieved from his post and transferred to Sator’s office.

In his explanation, Roma said he suffered of gastroenteritis or Loose Bowel Movement when the heist took place.

Sator said that Roma’s return to his post will depend upon the result of the investigation conducted against him.

He also said that he has directed SOCO chief David Alexander Patriana to investigate if there was a lapse made by Roma in failing to inform other SOCO personnel to replace him that time.

Sator said that ideally there should be around seven to eight SOCO officials in the office, but since other personnel were out only four officials of the said unit were there.

Police Regional Office-7 acting director Federico Terte said he ordered Sator to report to him regarding the incident and conduct an investigation and summary proceeding about the incident.

Terte said he has also instructed the regional operations office to direct all provincial and city police directors to conduct operations against personnel wearing the athletic uniform outside Tuesdays and Thursdays, police training days.

“We also urge the policemen na dili ipasuot sa ilang pamilya ang ilang pinaglumaan na police clothes lalo na ‘yung camouflage,” Terte said.

A memorandum will also be issued to the supplier of materials used in making police uniforms.

Rex Derilo, chief of Regional Security Agencies and Guards Supervision Unit-7, said that administrative and criminal charges will be filed against GDS Security Agency for deploying unlicensed security guards.

Upon police interrogation, Luna, Bajenting, and Boquecosa said that their licenses are at the custody of the said agency.