Man leaves van as collateral for bar tab

A man who couldn’t pay for his P300 tab at a bar in Valenzuela City last week has yet to redeem the Besta van he left as insurance that he would come back to pay for his beer.

Senior Inspector Salvador de la Cruz, station investigation branch (SIB) chief, said the man was initially identified as Giovanni Lopez from a card he surrendered to the bar personnel.

It has been 10 days since Lopez left his blue Besta van (license plate WSL 744) at the McArthur Grill, located in Barangay Karuhatan on Jan. 26, 2007.

Police Officer 3 Percy Villanueva, officer on case, said they received a telephone call yesterday from Marites Enema of the bar seeking police assistance on what to make of the unclaimed vehicle.

According to Villanueva, Lopez arrived at around 6 p.m. on Jan. 26 and had beer. Realizing he was out of cash a few hours later, he offered to leave the van as collateral for his tab. He also left a J.O. Monte card bearing the name Giovanni Lopez to Enema.

The police have towed the car to the station for safekeeping and verification from the Land Transportation Office to determine if it was a stolen vehicle.