P6-M clothing shipment lost in container hijack

Some P6 million worth of imported clothing materials were lost when the truck driver and two of his helpers allegedly diverted the shipment during transit from the South Harbor to its consignee in Valenzuela, Metro Manila last Thursday.

The hijacking of the shipment was reported to the police only yesterday after the truck (UKN-481) and an empty 40-footer container van were found abandoned under the Balintawak Cloverleaf overpass in Quezon City.

According to Francisco Joven, 42, dispatcher-checker of Great Lakes Maritime Service, the shipment of 440 cartons of cotton yarn from Malaysia was withdrawn from the container yard of the South Harbor in Port Area, Manila past midnight Thursday for delivery to Cannon Textile warehouse in Valenzuela.

The shipment was loaded into a 40-footer van and the truck driver identified as Robert Mendez, 24, of Baseco Compound, Tondo, while his helpers were identified only as Rolly and Lope, Joven told police investigators.

Joven said he became worried after the consignee called him up to inform him that the shipment was not delivered to their warehouse, some five hours later after the shipment had left the pier area.

At around 6 a.m. the following day, Joven was informed by the police about the discovery of the abandoned truck and the empty container van. The driver and the two helpers also failed to report to their office, Joven said.

A manhunt for the three suspects had been launched by the Theft and Robbery Section of the Western Police District. – Nestor Etolle