Church robbed

Two of four men, who tried to run away with thousands of pesos of alms and cash donations from a church, were arrested by police early yesterday in Caloocan City.

Arresting cops PO1 Egardo Esguerra and PO1 Leonardo Martin Jr. identified the suspects as Rommel Carpio, 23, and Wilbert Aspuria, 21, both residents of Reparo street, Morning Breeze Subdivision, Caloocan City. Two of their companions, identified only as "Junior Lacambra" and a "Joseph," eluded arrest, taking the loot with them.

Carpio and Aspuria were handcuffed and hauled to police headquarters after the suspects allegedly stole P27,000 of church donations from the Sacred Heart Church on Pilar Street inside the subdivision.

Chief Inspector Daniel Mayoni, Caloocan police operations division chief, said the suspects broke into the church around 2:30 a.m.

The suspects destroyed the padlocks of one of the doors in the church and went on to ransack the donation box. The racket, however, roused Fr. Rufino Yabut, parish priest, who saw the suspects taking the cash. He called for police assistance after the suspects left.

The priest positively identified Carpio and Aspuria as two of the four burglars after they were arrested in a follow up operation. – Jerry Botial