Items stolen from French ship recovered

CEBU, Philippines - It has not been made public before, but seven ship anodes, or pieces of metal that prevent rust from damaging ships, were stolen from French Navy ship FS Vendemiaire that docked at Cebu City for a goodwill visit last February.

The Cebu City police recovered the items from a junkshop after a long search and turned these over yesterday afternoon to the French consulate.

Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) security officer Lt. Cdr. Randy Japitan said that Cpt. Jean-Christophe Olieric sought their help after they lost seven of their zinc anodes while docked at berthing space no. 5 at the Cebu International Port (CIP).

The warship arrived last Feb. 13 for their nine-day goodwill visit to the country and to buy supplies for their ship. The ship’s visit was meant for cultural and technical exchange with the Filipinos.

Japitan said the seven anodes were reportedly stolen between February 15 and 16 amid assurance from the Central Command that they will intensify security at the CIP and ask augmentation personnel from the Central Command and Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). 

CCPO Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe directed the Theft and Robbery Section and the Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) to look for the stolen items.

Buenafe said the thieves apparently took the items by diving with the help of a compressor. Retrieving the anodes, which weighed 10 kilos each, from underwater required a lot of man hours, he added.

The police recovered these inside a junkshop in Barangay Pasil a few days after the French warship left the country. 

IDMB Chief Bonifacio Garciano said they did it with the help of an informant. He said they were made to explore the entire junkshop to look for the items which were sold for P70 per kilo or a total of P4,900 for all seven.

The stolen anodes will be sent to France.  (FREEMAN)