NV folk express alarm over spate of robberies

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Residents in this usually-peaceful landlocked province expressed alarm over the spate of robberies taking place the past weeks, calling on authorities to immediately put a stop to these incidents that have victimized various commercial establishments and a number of prominent individuals here. 

“The police must do something about these series of robbery incidents or else businessmen from outside will have second thoughts of investing here,” said Harriet Cabauatan, a secondary public school teacher. 

Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma already called on police authorities to “once and for all” put a stop to these “embarrassing” incidents, putting the province in a bad light.

“Or else, as governor of the province, I will do something drastic to preserve the serenity of the province. I can’t wait sitting in my own office hearing all these very embarrassing incidents,” she said. 

Based on police records, among those victimized by robbery groups here was the Centro Mall in Solano, one of the biggest commercial establishments in the province, which lost around P1 million in cash and valuables to still unidentified burglars earlier this week. 

According to police reports, the suspects entered the establishment by cutting through the roof’s skylight and broke the establishment’s vault on the night of April 28. 

Also, the main office of the Cordillera Bank here was also victimized by suspected members of the vault cutter gang who bravely broke in by digging underground into the vault area. The bank is around 100 meters from the town’s police office.  

Added to these were individual residents who were victimized by robbers included the Billedo family in Solano where at least P100,000 in cash and valuables were taken, and lawyer Ernesto Salunat, whose BMW car parked inside his compound was looted after breaking the luxury car’s window. 

Still, a number of other houses and establishments have been ransacked by groups of robbers whose identities still have to be established, the incidents taking place all in a matter of two weeks which is unusual for this province, which used to be a perennial national awardee in terms of peace and order.