MPD chief collars 2 PUJ robbers

Manila Police District (MPD) officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Danilo Abarzosa nabbed two notorious holduppers while in the act of robbing jeepney passengers in Sampaloc, Manila past midnight yesterday.

The tough act of the MPD chief occurred while he was doing the rounds of several checkpoints put up in the city to deter crimes.

Leading a team of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officers along Recto Avenue in Legarda aboard his motorcycle, Abarzosa noticed a commotion inside a passenger jeepney, prompting him to cautiously approach the vehicle.

The SWAT officers, who were caught by surprise by Abarzosa’s sudden detour, followed their chief and prepared to move in.

Abarzosa and the SWAT team encircled the jeepney and managed to corner the two holduppers, who were then busy divesting their victims.

A caliber .38 revolver and a fan knife were seized from suspects Edwin Modalo, 31, and Ivan Malabarbas, 21, both of Parola Compound, Tondo.

Though admitting that crimes happen in unexpected times and places, Abarzosa stressed that the police are always on their toes to prevent them.

"The arrest of these two holduppers proves that the police are not sleeping on the job," he told The STAR.

One of Abarzosa’s programs is the eradication of street crimes in the city, as he ordered the Manila police to make additional "sacrifices" in serving the populace by being in the streets even during bad weather."

It will be recalled that during his stints as commander of several police stations in Manila, Abarzosa would personally lead his men in doing the rounds of the city on board his motorcycle during critical hours at night.

His stints produced favorable results as there was a marked decrease of crimes in his jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), led by Inspector John Guiagui, arrested a suspected gunrunner in an operation in Gunao street in Quiapo.

CIDU chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula said Regie Valmocina, 30, of Tondo, Manila, is the alleged supplier of homemade firearms to crime gangs.

During the arrest, an improvised 12-gauge shotgun with ammunition was recovered from his possession.

Abarzosa recently ordered the confiscation of loose firearms in the city which, according to him, are the cause of rising criminality in the city.