Bank rob suspect falls after 9 hours

Philippine National Police chief Director General Leandro Mendoza announced the arrest yesterday of a Taguig policeman said to be the leader of a robbery syndicate nine hours after the group held up a bank in Makati City last Friday.

The arrest of PO3 Robert Teranova Provido, 35, a native of Villa, Iloilo City, of the Taguig police station, came barely nine hours after he reportedly led an armed group which swooped down on the Makati City-Bangkal branch of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Friday at about 2 p.m.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina and Mendoza, presented the policeman-suspect at a press conference in Camp Crame yesterday.

Also last Friday, the PNP arrested 12 members of a syndicate engaged in kidnapping-for-ransom in Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

Lina said the arrest of Provido only proved that the PNP is not sleeping on its job in solving crimes and commended the PNP for the swift and immediate solution of the bank robbery.

He added that since the assumption of the new government, the PNP has been on the offensive against all forms of criminality.

However, he lamented that some quarters have been capitalizing on crimes in efforts to destabilize the government.

Police records showed Provido was taking a Law Enforcement Course at the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) in Camp Bagong Diaw, Bicutan, Taguig when he was implicated in the bank robbery.

Security guard Arnold Alejo, was wounded when Provido and his group allegedly fired high powered firearms as they entered the bank.

Provido was traced and cornered by crack operatives of the Makati City police at his hideout in Purok 6, B-91, Upper Bicutan, Taguig.

During a confrontation, a BPI security guard positively identified Provido as among the six suspects who had staged the heist.

Police discovered that Provido has another criminal case in Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 154 and he was out on bail.

Lina immediately instructed Mendoza to conduct summary dismissal proceedings against Provido, saying that "bad eggs have no place in the PNP."

Mendoza, assured Lina that in due time, all the members of the robbery gang will be arrested, since police manhunt operations are underway.