Thieves take close to P500K in cash, valuables Sunday

CEBU, Philippines - A couple lost more than P200,000 worth of cash and valuables after an unidentified person burglarized their house in Barangay Taytayan, Bogo City Sunday evening.

Spouses Concordio, 49, and Marilyn Ancajas, 49, left for the cemetery to visit the grave of their loved ones when the burglar broke into their house around 10 p.m.

An inventory showed that the culprit took their P16,000 cash, $200 (P8,000), gold bracelet (P150,000), digital camera (P4,000), two pairs of gold earrings (P7,000), and a video camera (P25,000).

PO1 Alexander Ancao Jr., Bogo City Police Station assistant investigator, said the intruder gained entrance by destroying the screen of the window at the back portion of the house.

The thief then removed three jalousie blades before going straight to the spouses’ room.

In a telephone interview, Ancao said he suspected that a small kid could have been involved in the burglary because the opening after just three jalousie blades were removed was too small for an adult to pass through.

“Gamay gyud ang nisulod unya malagmit bata kay ang gitas-on sa (We’re sure the one who entered the house was of small build and most likely a child because the opening after the) jalousie nga nakuha gamay ra man gyud (blades were removed was very small),” he said.

The Ancajases were surprised to discover when they arrived home that several of their valuables were already missing.

Police are still investigating the incident for possible identification of the burglars so they could file charges against them.

In Balamban town, two men also burglarized a house and took almost P300,000 worth of valuables and cash in Sitio Sac-Sac, Barangay Abucayan.

One of the thieves turned out be a nephew of 36-year-old Hazel Samutya, whose family just came home from a picnic with relatives in Barili town when they learned that their house was ransacked by thieves.

Taken were a Chinese gold bracelet (P40,000), a diamond ring (P32,000), a set of diamond earrings (P5,000), a Dubai gold necklace (P83,000), one Indonesian gold necklace (P32,000), one Malaysian gold necklace (P20,000), pair of Chinese gold earrings (P7,000), a Chinese ring (P5,000), a diamond ring (P6,000), an iPhone 3 (P20,000), a Galaxy cellular phone P5,000; two portable playstation (P32,000); and P1,000 cash.

A bothered conscience, however, prompted self-confessed Alpha Kappa Rho (Akrho) member Bryan Portado, 20, to go to the Balamban Police Station and admit the crime.

Portado alleged that he was just forced by his cohort Jenno Completo, Samutya’s nephew and neighbor, to burglarize the house.

Portado said he was only given P14,000 as share of the loot, of which he returned P8,000 cash. He said he used P6,000 for his personal needs.

Portado said that most of the stolen cash and valuables were with Completo, who remains  at large up to this time.   Robbery charges were filed against the two suspects. (FREEMAN)