5 nabbed over Senate burglary

MANILA, Philippines — Police have arrested five suspects in last week’s theft of a media network’s equipment in the Senate premises in Pasay.

A man and his partner who used a saw to carve the rear steel fence of the Senate were apprehended at a house along Diokno Boulevard in Barangay 76.

Authorities nabbed the couple while they were playing cara y cruz with two other men aged 45 and 48, according to Pasay police chief Col. Joselito de Sesto.

Police said they recovered 0.70 grams of shabu valued at P4,760.

According to police, the contraband was being used as a “pot” for the illegal gambling activity.

The couple reportedly stole a television set, two printers, two folding long tables, an extension cable, three pocket WiFi devices, a stool and some office supplies inside the IBC media tent near the Senate’s material recovery facility.

The father of one of the suspects, who helped in carrying the stolen equipment and facilitated their escape, was also arrested.

Aside from theft charges, the suspects will be charged for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and Presidential Decree 1602.

Police have intensified security around the Senate following the burglary and the recovery of an improvised explosive device near the Senate complex on the day of President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address.