Basak Pardo robbery: Guard shot in thigh; pharmacy lost P75K

CEBU, Philippines - A security guard got shot while the pharmacy he was serving lost P75,000 to motorcycle-riding robbers last Dec. 31.

Santiago Martinez, 47, of Sitio Alaska, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, suffered a gunshot wound in his left thigh after one of the two robbers fired at him.

SPO2 Bestilio Dabatos, duty desk officer of Pardo Police Station, told The FREEMAN that initial investigation a team led by SPO3 Roger Nedamo showed that one robber armed with a .45 pistol barged inside La Nueva Pharmacy in Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City and announced a hold up.

Martinez tried to pull out his .38 revolver but got shot instead.

The robber then took the guard's service firearm and then ordered cashier Jennifer Fuentes of Barangay Cogon Pardo, Cebu City to open the cash drawer.

The man took the P75,000 sales for the day and then shot the padlock of the pharmacy's vault to try to open it.

Failing to open the vault, the robber detached and took the DVR hard drive of the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) camera of the establishment.

He warned the stunned pharmacy costumers not to make any noise before fleeing onboard a waiting blue L2 motorcycle driven by a cohort towards the direction of Bulacao.

Authorities are currently conducting follow-up operations to establish the identities of the two men.— Brenda D. Batuto, Banat News/RHM