Gang goes on holdup spree

A group of heavily-armed men went into a robbery spree Wednesday hitting a drugstore in Quezon City and later divesting customers of two restaurants of millions of pesos worth of cash and jewelry in San Juan.

Newly designated Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco ordered an investigation as to why policemen from Quezon City and San Juan were not able to stop the armed robbers.

"We are working on these cases," said Velasco.

Initial investigation showed that the holdup men on board a gray Toyota Revo with plate number WKP 145 entered the Carlos Drugstore located at the corner of New York street and E. Rodriguez Avenue in Barangay Immaculate Concepcion at about 9:45 p.m.

One of the robbers, at gunpoint, disarmed the drugstore’s security guard, Rico Basco, 27, of his caliber .38 revolver.

Police said the robbers took the cash register containing P29,000 in cash. The robbery was over in three minutes.

Less than an hour later, the same group of robbers surfaced at the Port Area Grille Restaurant located in the corner of P. Guevarra street and Vito Cruz street in Barangay Little Baguio in San Juan.

Sketchy reports showed that the robbers announced the holdup and divested 16 surprised customers, one of them Mandaluyong City Councilor Luisito Espinosa, 48, of their cash and jewelry.

Aside from Espinosa, the other victims were identified as Henry Dy, 41; his wife, Jocelyn, 40; Chris Cayetano Bautista, 62; Reynaldo de Vera, 58; Bobby Ongkiko; Federico Vicencio, 34; Isagani Francisco, 50; Eduardo San Pascual, 51; Sofia Gil, 25; Jesus de la Cruz, 44; Alejandro Evangelista, 59; Lorena Obana; Angelita Pineda, 47; Nelson Pineda, 42, and Jerson Lastimosa, 29.

Reports said the armed men then proceeded to the Harbor City Restaurant along Wilson street, some 200 meters away, and robbed its customers of their cash and personal belongings.

The San Juan police, however, are keeping details of the two robberies under wraps, volunteering only that the armed men could belong to the same group that robbed the Mann Hann Restaurant in the same area last June 4.

Chief Superintendent Rolando Sacramento, Eastern Police District (EPD) director claimed only the Port Area Grille Restaurant was hit by the robbers. "No other restaurant or establishment was robbed," Sacramento told The Star.

According to Velasco, the robbery group has seven to eight members. "We are trying to identify them and possibly know whether there are pending warrants of arrests against them," said Velasco. – With reports from Matthew Estabillo