Police to set meeting with rental car operators

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Police Office will soon be meeting with rental car operators following last Monday’s attack on an Aman Futures Trading investor and his family. The assailants used rented unregistered vehicles to carry out what was believed to be an attempted kidnapping.

Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, chief of CCPO’s City Intelligence Branch, said they will be giving tips to car rental companies, which are “soft targets” to criminal elements.

“We’ll be having some talk with the car rentals here to give some measures para at least lang siguro ma-minimize if possible ma-control nato tanan,” said Santander.

He said the interaction will be held next month after summoning the different car rental companies in Cebu City.

Santander urged car rental companies renting out colorum or unregistered vehicles to resort to legal operations and set parameters to clients before the latter can use them.

“You should be careful in dealing with your customers kay kamo ra man gihapo’y maalaot. Wala ni sila kahibaw that their cars will be used by criminal elements sa mga robbery o unsa diha,” Santander stressed, adding that there have been a number of precedents for this situation.

The CIB chief also called on the public to refrain from patronizing colorum vehicles because in cases of accidents, the victims cannot expect any assistance from the car operators.

“Mosubay lang ta’s saktong proseso,” he said.

Santander said the two cars the assailants used, a Toyota Vios (with its plate marked ‘For Registration’) and a Toyota Innova (YJU-894), were both colorum. Another vehicle, a Toyota Grandia (YEA-493), recovered during a follow-up operation, was also colorum, said Santander.

He said they are contemplating filing charges against a certain Marlon Amante, who reportedly rented out the vehicles to one of the assailants.

Last Monday dawn, some five men on board two cars repeatedly shot at Dr. Rico Medina and his family as they were going home to Barangay Labangon.

Medina, his wife Arlene, son Benjie, and their bodyguard Allan Dake, who were aboard a Toyota Fortuner, were able to escape unscathed.

Santander said they are eyeing Medina’s involvement in the Aman investment scam, which victimized thousands of people in the Visayas and Mindanao, to be the motive behind last Monday’s attack.

Medina himself has also positively identified one of the suspects, who hails from Mindanao.  (FREEMAN)