Garments firm owner says P.5-million payroll missing

MANILA, Philippines - A garments factory owner in Malabon City said Saturday around P500,000 intended for his employees’ salaries is missing from the firm’s safety vault.

Jaime Chua, 45, owner of Jailey garments factory in Barangay Potrero, told the police that apart from the P500,000, his two mobile phones are missing.

Chua said the burglars forced open the factory’s safety vault and took away the money. He claimed to have discovered the loss early Saturday morning. When he checked on his employees, he said one of them failed to report for work.

He reported the case to the Malabon City police, who accompanied him to the worker’s house in Norzagaray, Bulacan but the worker was not around.

Police Officer 3 Rommel Habig said there were no signs of forced entry at the crime scene. Chua said he does not understand how the burglars entered the factory when he is the only one with keys to the firm’s two steel doors.

The Northern Police District Scene of the Crime Operatives led by Chief Inspector Stella Ebuen processed the crime scene for latent fingerprints by possible suspects. – Pete Laude