Cops closing in on Fooda robbers

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City police are hot on the trail of the robbers, who took off with a vault with an estimated P100,000 in coins inside from the Fooda Savers Mart at dawn last Monday.

The Cebu City Police Office has already identified some of the eight men.

CCPO Director Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, Jr. said that they are now doing a hot pursuit operation.

He would not however divulge the names so as not to jeopardize their operations. Comendador said that the robbers are not from Cebu, but got weapons and vehicles from a local contact.

The CCPO chief yesterday attended the monthly meeting of the Cebu Bankers Club.

One of the issues brought up in the meeting was on the matter of hiring security guards.

This was brought up as the three security guards on duty when the robbers struck the supermarket last Monday are believed to be without the proper licenses.

Chief Insp. Goerge Ylanan, chief of Investigation and Detective Management Branch, who also attended the meeting, pointed out the need to urge the security guards to be trained and to be licensed.

“Dako ang diperensya sa security guards nga naa’y training ug lisensya kaysa untrained nga wa kahibaw unsa’y buhaton,” Ylanan said.

The CBC assured that it is taking measures to ensure that they only hire licensed guards.

Meanwhile, one of the three security guards of said store failed the polygraph test. Comendador said he cannot disclose, who among security guards Geoffrey Luna, Jesse Rey Bahinting and Niel Zoren Boquecosa of GDS Security Agency, failed the test. He added that this is not however a proof of guilt.

Further checks will be made on the background of the guard.

“Sa pagkakaron, this is an investigative aid, but we cannot yet say na kauban siya sa mga suspects,” Comendador said.

Police asked the guards to undergo the polygraph test as part of the “elimination process” of the theory that there was an inside job.

The three readily gave their firearms to three men wearing shirts used by the policemen for their athletic activities, when asked to do so. The robbers, who pretended to be policemen, said that they were responding to an indiscriminate firing alarm.

It was after the guards handed their weapons that the men declared a hold-up and more of their cohorts arrived in two vehicles – a black Pajero and a white L-300 van. — Niña Chrismae G. Sumacot/NLQ   (THE FREEMAN)