'Bukas-kotse' gang victimizes solon

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - A “bukas kotse” gang a robbed a van of a visiting party-list representative in Cotabato City.

The city police on Wednesday confirmed the incident, which occurred last week during the conduct here of congressional hearings on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The escorts of Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Partylist Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza found their van ransacked, while parked along a busy thoroughfare here, after having lunch in a mall nearby.

Mendoza was in the city last week to participate in a series of congressional hearings on the draft BBL, which Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez presided over.

Rodriguez chairs the ad-hoc House committee tasked to enact the draft BBL into law.

Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin of the city police said a security camera of an establishment near the spot where the van was parked recorded a still unidentified man breaking the vehicle’s side window to reach for the interior door lock, enabling him to enter and collect valuables and a caliber .45 pistol passengers left inside.

The suspect hurriedly left riding a tricycle parked few meters away. Investigators are convinced the tricycle driver and another man acting as lookout, who casually walked away from the scene, were involved.

Police intelligence operatives are still trying to determine the identities of the robbers.