Caught on tape

The National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) has in its possession video footage showing possible remnants of the Kuratong Baleleng gang as they staged a daring heist at the Equitable-PCIBank branch in Makati City last Saturday.

Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco is hoping the video footage will help police identify the robbers and hasten their arrests.

"We have clear images of the robbers," said Velasco adding that the men of Superintendent Miguel Laurel, officer-in-charge of the NCRPO intelligence division, are now in the process of identifying those involved.

Fifteen of the 30 robbers walked inside the PCIBank branch located at the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue and Paseo de Roxas in Makati and disarmed security guards before taking some P1.5 million in cash.

Before escaping on board four luxury vehicles and two motorcycles, the robbers, who did not bother to cover their faces, grabbed the bank’s security cameras.

Earlier, police claimed it was an "inside job" since the robbers used the rear entrance and had knowledge of the exact time the bank’s armored vans would arrive with the collection from nearby establishments.

Velasco said yesterday, the robbers were not aware of another video camera above the back door of the bank. "They were not able to take down this one and we are thankful for that," Velasco told The Star.

He admitted the robbers who hit the Makati bank are the same ones involved in the heists of two banks in Parañaque City this year.

Police have been anticipating a rash of bank robberies this year with the upcoming elections.

When pressed to react on the police response to the PCIBank robbery, Velasco said he found nothing wrong with the deployment of forces, the containment ring system and police visibility of the Makati City police. "The police responded but were just not able to catch up with the robbers," said Velasco, brushing aside suggestions that city police chief, Superintendent Jovito Gutierrez, should be relieved from his post.