Variety show fan loses car

Thousands of Cebuanos yesterday packed the Cebu Coliseum to watch a live telecast of ABS-CBN’s popular noontime variety show A.S.A.P. but not all of them went home happy.

At least one fan, a resident of Barangay Punta Princesa, lost his car while he and three of his friends were inside watching their favorite movie and recording stars.

Orville Pingoy, 20, reported to the Cebu City Police Traffic Management Group that his 1992 model Toyota Lite Ace, with license plates TCX 345, was gone from where it was parked on Sanciangco Street when he came out of the coliseum at about 1:30 p.m. to check on it.

The show started airing at noon and ended shortly before 3 p.m.

Pingoy said the van was registered in the name of his parents.

Pingoy told police investigator Danilo Gallano that he parked the van at about 10 a.m. inside the coliseum before the show started on the presumption it would be packed of vehicles.

Gallano said that if petty thieves were responsible, the car would normally be abandoned a few hours later at some other place after the vehicle had been stripped of its parts.

Gallano did not say if the loss of the van is a sign of what could be a resurgence of carnapping in Cebu City. He said the Traffic Management Group has already informed its various detachments in the province to be on the lookout for the stolen vehicle.

The Cebu City police theft and robbery section has also been informed about the incident and is searching for the van.

Even port officials, Gallano said, have been notified in case the carnappers may be planning to take the stolen vehicle out of Cebu. — Freeman News Service