Ex-Army men behind heists?

A group of former Army soldiers are being eyed as the perpetrators of the recent bank heists in Metro Manila.

Police investigators working on the P1.5 million robbery at the Equitable-PCIBank branch at the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue and Paseo de Roxas in Makati City identified the group based on "the patterns of the hit."

A source at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) told The STAR that the robbery group is led by a certain Gomez, who has been listed as AWOL (absent without official leave) by his military unit.

The source pointed out that Gomez is a native of Ozamis City, the hometown of most members of the Kuratong Baleleng bank robbery gang.

Police, the source said, are having difficulty locating Gomez and his core group, mostly Mindanao war veterans, because they always change their residence after a "major hit."

He added that police investigators are looking at one of four possible motives for the recent bank heists, namely: To raise funds for politicians; to embarrass the Arroyo government; to taunt the leadership of the Philippine National Police; or simply to get quick cash to support their extravagant "lifestyles."

Gomez can easily get at least 30 recruits like those who pulled off the latest bank heist in Makati City. He added, however, that these "second and third layer players" do not know Gomez personally.

He cited the case of brothers, Mark and Philip Lanada, who were arrested in Iloilo City last March 16 for the Prudential Bank branch robbery in Sucat, Parañaque City .

During tactical interrogation, the Lanada brothers admitted they were earning enough money working as pickpockets abroad. They decided to join the robbery gang in the Philippines because "they wanted to raise the level of their criminal activity." It was a certain Liza, said to be a girlfriend of Mark, who recruited them to the gang.

When asked about Gomez and his core group, the Lanada brothers only responded with blank stares.

Several days after the arrest of the brothers, Gomez and his group stormed the Equitable-PCIBank branch also in Parañaque City. One of the suspects was identified as Rodolfo Amistoso, tagged by the police as one of the players in the Prudential Bank robbery.

The bank robbers were armed with a caliber .60 machine gun, apparently ready to confront responding policemen on their escape.

In last Saturday’s robbery in Makati City, the robbers arrived on board a gray Ford Expedition, a dark-colored Toyota Revo, a Hyundai Starex van, a Toyota sedan and a number of motorcycles. At least two vehicles were loaded by heavily-armed men, The STAR source said.

"They really wanted to test the mettle of policemen in Metro Manila," said the source, as he expressed relief that no encounter took place because "lots of lives would be lost."

Gomez and his group were battling Muslim rebels in Mindanao years back when they decided to make millions through illegal activities in Metro Manila.