Businesswoman loses P.5 M to burglars

MANILA, Philippines - A businesswoman and her family lost P500,000 in cash, jewelry and personal belongings to burglars who broke into her house in Pasig City Saturday.

With only days before the retirement of Pasig City police chief Senior Superintendent Jesse Cardona tomorrow, burglars struck at the house of Rosamarie Erasmo,42, at Green Park Village in Barangay Manggahan.

“The robbers took advantage of the relaxed deployment of the local police due to the coming retirement of Cardona and they made off with a hefty sum,” a police investigator said.

Erasmo said she and her family left their home at about 10 a.m. Saturday to visit relatives in Marikina City. When they returned at about 9:30 p.m., the Erasmos sensed something was wrong as the padlock of their gate had been forced open.

When they rushed into the house, they found the padlock of the main door and the doorknob of their master’s bedroom destroyed.

The burglars made off with P157,000 from a safety cabinet, P250,000 worth of jewelry, a Samsung laptop worth P40,000, digital cameras and other personal belongings, Erasmo said.

Meanwhile, Eastern Police District (EPD) director Chief Superintendent Miguel Laurel said the names of Senior Superintendents Nelson Yabut, Rodolfo Llorca and a certain Arira are among those mentioned as possible replacements for Cardona.

Laurel expects Pasig City Mayor Robert Eusebio to forward to Camp Crame his choice as the city’s next police chief before Cardona retires tomorrow.