2 suspects in Cojuangco farm heist identified

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Police have identified two suspects who broke into a farm owned by businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. in San Enrique town in Negros Occidental last Thursday.

Town police chief Senior Inspector Romeo Vargas on Friday said the suspects took P1.9 million from the office of the ECJ Farm in Barangay Baliwagan.

Police withheld the names of the two suspects until after they are arrested.

Vargas said the robbers were residents of the village and not members of an organized group.

The robbery was discovered by an employee, Ma. Divine Avasquez, at around 8 a.m. Vargas said the robbers destroyed the glass window of the building and entered the cashier’s office between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.

The robbers took the cash, which was intended for the salaries and bonuses of the workers, from a steel cabinet.

Security guards assigned in the building said they failed to detect the presence of the robbers. They were suspended and subjected to an investigation.

The building has a closed-circuit television camera but it reportedly malfunctioned.