Talisay robberies alarm police ahead of fiesta

CEBU, Philippines - Robbery incidents in Talisay City have alarmed the police, causing them to mobilize their contacts to go after criminals ahead of the city fiesta on October 15.

In September alone, 25 robber cases were recorded in the city, 16 of which were believed to have been perpetrated in residential setting while nine were committed by riding-in-tandem suspects.

Superintendent Germano Mallari, chief of Talisay City Police, admitted that the cases have been alarming.

“Alarming gyud ni siya pero ako nang gipalihok atong mga contacts aron makuha ni natong mga kriminal,” he said.

At least for home burglaries, some suspects have been identified by witnesses. However, the police are having a hard time tagging suspects in cases where the suspects are riding motorcycles.

Mallari also admitted they were expecting the numbers to at least drop, following the killing last month of Richie Daan, the seventh most wanted person in the city. It turned out, he said, that his expectations failed.

Daan was the leader of notorious group in Talisay which reportedly used to rob and was involved in gun-for-hire and in illegal drug activities. He was killed in Barangay Tanke when he exchanged fire with the authorities.

Mallari said he received information that the brother of Richie wanted take over as the group’s new leader.

As of now, intelligence officers of the Talisay City police are still pinning down those responsible for the string of robberies in the city.

“Akong duda aning mga suspects, mga bag-o ni nga nagpraktis ba kay moigo man sila bisan ginagmay,” Mallari said.

In one specific case, the police are still trying to identify a robbery group reportedly based in Barangay Linao. But one of their challenges is that the victims who went to their office could not directly identify the perpetrators.

Poblacion Barangay Captain Teodoro Belleza described the robbers as notorious since they perform the crime with no fear. He said despite the location of the police station being near the barangay hall, criminals still continue to do with their illegal activities.

“Ang paborito nilang tulison kana gyung mag-inusara nga maglakaw sa mingaw nga karsada,” Belleza said.

Inspector Windell Abellana, deputy chief, said they need the public’s cooperation so they could pin down those responsible. He said they would appreciate receiving information from concerned citizens that could possibly lead to the arrest of some suspects.

Abellana added that to prevent being victimized, one should refrain from bringing big amount of money or expensive gadgets in public. Also, he advised the public to always have a companion whenever they go out.

 “Ang mga tulisan motulis gyud na og naay tulisonon pero kun wa aw unsa pa man ilang matulis, so walay krimen nga mahitabo,” Abellana said.

Aurea Pamor, 44, a city resident, told The FREEMAN it is nice to see the police conducting checkpoints since most of perpetrators use motorcycle as get-away vehicle. She said checkpoints could scare away robbers.

“Mapangulbaan nalang gyud ta nga maglakaw sa karsada kay daghan naman gyud ang buang. Kani man sad gud ang drugas mao’y hinungdan ining tanan,” she said. — Gabriel C. Bonjoc of BANAT News (FREEMAN)