Delivery truck hijacked in Tondo; driver killed

Three armed men, one of whom was in police uniform, hijacked a delivery truck carrying copper wire worth P3.6 million then threw the driver into the river in Tondo, Manila past midnight yesterday.

The body of Romy Matin-ao, 30, of Muntinlupa City, was retrieved under the Infanta Bridge in Balut, Tondo.

His body bore multiple stab wounds .

He was rushed to the Tondo General Hospital where he was able to give a statement before he finally expired.

According to his narration, he was driving a 10-wheeler truck (PXB-247) loaded with copper wire when it was blocked by armed men.

The victim said one of the hijackers was in police uniform.

Officer-on-case SPO3 Edison Bertoldo said the cargo was on its way to the consignee’s warehouse in Tarlac.

The truck helper, identified as Aaaron Alpay, is still missing, according to Bertoldo.

It was not clear whether the helper was abducted or killed by the suspects and his body dumped elsewhere.

‘Safe travel’ cards

The Northern Police District Office (NPDO) called on cargo truck drivers and operators in Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) area yesterday to secure "pass cards" from their respective local police stations to ensure safe and unhampered travel.

Senior Superintendent Rafael Santiago, NPD operations chief, said that the Philippine National Police (PNP) pass card program would be "strictly and fully" implemented next month in the northern part of Metro Manila.

"Camanava is a host to several big trucking groups. Hundreds of cargo trucks pass by our area daily so it is imperative for them to secure the pass card," Santiago said.

The pass card project was designed to give cargo trucks unrestricted travel and avoid hijacking incidents on the highway as well as mulcting cops.

"Once a cargo truck driver is able to secure a pass card from the point of origin in Camanava, the vehicle is authorized to travel unhampered within our area of jurisdiction," Santiago said. "If a cargo truck strays from its fixed route, that’s the time that our cops can intervene since they might be victims of a hijacking."

If a cargo truck stays on its route, policemen are not authorized to flag them down.

Santiago noted that hijackers often pose as policemen.

"But with this new tact, it would be hard for the hijackers as well as the ‘kotong’ cops to carry out their illicit acts," Santiago said.

He said that NPD director Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil has been meeting with truck drivers, operators and trucking associations in Camanava.

"The pass card program has been in effect in Camanava since last week, but we are still in the process of fine-tuning it for its full implementation next month," Santiago said. – Nestor Etolle, Pete Laude