3 bus robbers strike at Nagtahan Bridge

Passengers of an airconditioned bus bound for Quiapo from Makati got the shock of their lives when three armed robbers staged a heist on Nagtahan Bridge in Manila yesterday afternoon.

Theft and robbery probers of the Western Police District said the robbers, armed with a fan knife and two caliber .38 home-made revolvers, announced the heist as the PVP bus (NWC-270) reached the bridge at about 1:50 p.m.

Although the bus only had eight passengers at that time, including a nun, the suspects were still able to get away with P4,000 in cash.

"They said they just needed money to buy shabu. The suspects ordered me to remain calm and just drive," said bus driver Stanley Marina, 25, of Lumang Calsada, Batangas.

Marina said he did not sense anything suspicious when the suspects boarded his bus in front of the Makati Stock Exchange Building on Ayala Avenue in Makati.

Police said the robbers got off the bus upon reaching the Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology building in Nagtahan. The passengers said the robbers quickly scampered towards a sidestreet beside the school and disappeared.

Descriptions given by the passengers matched the descriptions of three armed men who held-up a PVP bus at the Nagtahan Bridge on Oct. 3. Interestingly, the robbery also happened at about 1:50 p.m. The robbers also got off near the EARIST building.

Theft and robbery investigators are now checking whether the same suspects were behind the two bus robberies. WPD Theft and Robbery probers lashed out at elements of the WPD Station 8 (Pureza) for their failure to prevent robberies in their area.

"They should have posted policemen, their police station is near the street where the robbers got off the buses," the prober said.