2 arrested as TMG recovers ‘hot cars’

Operatives of the Traffic Management Group (TMG) arrested two men for attempting to sell a stolen Nissan Patrol, one of several vehicles recovered in a buy-bust operation in Quezon City last Thursday night.

TMG director Chief Superintendent Augusto Angcanan said those arrested were Patrick Dominic Tuzon, who negotiated the sale of the Patrol and Maurice Valenton, who was present at the garage on Narra street, Vista Real Subdivision in Barangay Commonwealth when officers posing as buyers conducted the entrapment at around 7:30 p.m.

The black Patrol (XPP-232), which belongs to noontime TV show host Raelene Elaine "Iya" Villania, was recovered along with a red BMW Z3 Roadster (WJY-426).

TMG team leader Superintendent Eduardo Bayangos said they are now verifying Tuzon’s claim that the source of the stolen vehicles was a certain Jayjay de los Santos, whom he identified as the son of the owner of a hospital in Quezon City.The buy-bust was conducted following a tip from an informant that a Patrol, which costs P2 million, was being sold in Quezon City for only P850,000.

Last Nov. 12, Bayangos ordered one of his agents to pose as a buyer and contacted Tuzon, who demanded that he first see the money before a deal could be made.

"This guy was very shrewd. He wanted to see and count the money before our agent could even see the unit. The negotiation lasted for a week as Patrick claimed their financier wanted to make sure payment would be in full," Bayangos said.

Shortly after noon last Thursday, PO3 Francisco de Leon and PO3 Gulmanza Lintongan met with Tuzon at a restaurant on Tomas Morato street. They later proceeded to the Quezon City Sports Complex where payment was made.

At around 7:30 p.m., Tuzon accompanied the agents to Vista Real Subdivision to pick up the vehicle.

"It was there that they saw the Nissan Patrol and a red BMW," Bayangos said.

After the buy-bust, police examined the vehicles and discovered that the papers of the Patrol had been altered and was now registered to a certain Elise Guerrero of Quezon City.

The vehicle was forcibly taken last Nov. 6 from the driver of Villania.

"We will check if this Guerrero really exists," Bayangos said.

Missing evidence

The police account of the Ortigas shootout that left three suspected carjackers dead could end up as the accepted version of vital testimony and evidence continue to be "absent" in the ongoing public inquiry of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

The most important piece of evidence — the footage taken by a UNTV cameraman — has yet to presented after lawyer Melanio Mauricio, legal counsel of the TV network, sought more time to consult with his client.

Mauricio earlier said the volunteer camera man who took the ground shot of the Nov. 7 encounter has gone into hiding, taking with him the complete footage of the incident.

Among those presented to the CHR fact-finding body were the testimonies of PNP Scene of the Crime Operatives, the report of the PNP medico legal officer and the testimony of Traffic Management Group (TMG) officers involved.

TV networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7 have also submitted raw video footages.

CHR Chairperson Purificacion Quisumbing said efforts of the human rights body to have relatives of the victims appear before the panel have proved futile.

A CHR official, who requested anonymity, said their non-appearance and the absence of the UNTV footage would prompt the CHR to base their official findings on the version of the PNP.

The CHR is expected to wind up its inquiry next week.

Strike three

If the three-strike policy of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on bank robberies and illegal gambling had applied on car theft incidents, Makati Police Department Anti-Carnapping (MPD-Ancar) chief Senior Police Officer 4 Jake Reyes would have been sacked by now.

In the last three days, three vehicles were stolen starting with a brand new Toyota Hi-Lux last Wednesday. Carjackers in military attire and with long firearms forcibly took the vehicle from its owner near the Magallanes flyover.

Last Thursday, thieves took off with a Mitsubishi Pajero parked outside the house of a Filipino-Chinese businessman in Barangay Poblacion.

And yesterday, a white Isuzu van was stolen in Barangay Olympia.

The owner, Donabelle Leal, 31, said her vehicle was taken while parked outside her residence on Biak-na-Bato street sometime around 2:30 a.m.

MPD chief Superintendent Efren Ysulat, however, is not about to relieve Reyes and blame him for the series of car thefts just yet.

The Ancar chief is being given a chance to solve the cases and stop car syndicates from further making the MPD look bad.

Ysulat said he has directed Reyes and his men to deal with the matter immediately, with the help of other MPD operational units.

He said the city’s SWAT team is being tapped for intensified police visibility and mobile operations.

"We have deployed a mobile car at the Magallanes interchange. SWAT personnel together with our mobile units have intensified patrols, particularly from midnight till morning," Ysulat said.

The MPD is also working in close coordination with barangay officials for the utilization of Bantay Bayan personnel as force multipliers. – With Perseus Echeminada, Michael Punongbayan