CEBU, Philippines - After a series of highway robberies victimizing delivery trucks in northwestern Cebu towns, Cebu Provincial Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador is now creating a Northwest Anti-Robbery Task Force.
The task force, to be headed by Superintendent Teofilo Siclot, deputy provincial director for operations, will be comprised of policemen from the police stations in northwestern Cebu.
Comendador suspects that the same men are responsible for the successive robberies in Balamban, Asturias, Toledo City, and even areas near Cebu City.
“We have leads and we patterned their movements,” the provincial director said.
Policemen are advised to escort traders and distributors when delivering their items.
As that developed, a beer dealer lost about P324,000 after its saleslady was robbed by two unidentified men at sitio Cumbado, barangay Cantuod, Balamban Thursday afternoon. This was the second time that Mikee and Riggs Marketing was held up by two unidentified men on board a motorcycle with no plate number.
Police said the delivery truck bearing plate number TWG-349 driven by Victor Pepito was parked at a gasoline station when they were robbed at gunpoint. The driver was their two helpers Roel Puilones, 21 and Rey Olasiman, 33 as well as 29-year-old Marilyn Villafranca of barangay 8, Tuburan, a saleslady of the company.
Villafranca said a few minutes after they delivered cases of beer in various stores, two unidentified men wearing bonnets arrived on board a black XRM motorcycle.
The back rider then disembarked and pointed a gun at them, demanding for their money. The robber even broke the compartment of the vehicle where their earnings were placed.
The victims lost their proceeds for the day which was P324,000 and the P10,000-cash of Villafranca.
On May 2, Mikee and Riggs Marketing was held up right after they delivered cases of beer in Asturias town.
Dario Perez, 31, of barangay 8, Tuburan was robbed just as he received the payment of delivered beers from one of the stores at sitio Looc Sur, barangay Poblacion.
The exact amount of the cash taken by the suspects has yet to be determined, said PO2 Joel Mata.
Perez claimed that he was about to get inside his vehicle when a man pointed a gun at him asking for the money.
The robber took the cash and hurriedly rode on a blue Yamaha Crypton motorcycle driven by an accomplice and sped towards Balamban town.
Police said they immediately called the Balamban Police Station to make a road block as the robbers were heading their way but the two eluded arrest. (FREEMAN)