‘Salisi’ gang strikes inside Cebu airport

CEBU, Philippines — A passenger lost P500,000 in cash and valuables to four suspected members of a “salisi” gang within the premises of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on Friday.

But the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the operator of the airport, was quick to assure that this was an isolated incident.

Christina Lau, a businesswoman from Manila, was waiting for her baggage at the carousel area for arriving domestic passengers when her Louis Vuitton bag suddenly went missing.

In panic, she reported the incident to the MCIA help desk.

Lau had requested the airport’s security personnel to review closed-circuit television footages, hoping the incident was captured by cameras.

However, in her talk with Pajo Barangay Captain Junard Chan, Lau said she was disappointed with the slow pace airport personnel had acted on her request.

“Gi-grant iyahang request pero kinahanglan pa og approval sa management sa airport. Kung diha pa dayon nakit-an, magukod pa to,” Chan told The FREEMAN.

Lau and Chan are acquaintances. They were finally given access to review CCTV footages at around 4 p.m. or more than three hours after the supposed robbery took place.

The footages revealed that at least four women connived in the stealing.

One was wearing brown long sleeves with pink scarf locally known as “sablay.” Another one was seen wearing a maong jacket, while the third and fourth suspects were wearing gray long sleeves and white long sleeves, respectively.

Members of a salisi gang normally attack as a group in hotels, restaurants, terminals, or any other public places. They usually try to take their victim’s attention and then steal their belongings.

In Lau’s case, she lost her bag that cost P100,000, along with P400,000 worth of valuables inside it that included an undisclosed amount of cash.

Chan has dangled a reward to those who can provide information about the alleged members of the salisi gang, although he did not indicate the amount.

“Hangyo ako sa inyong panabang kinsay nakaila aning 4 ka babae. Bisan usa lang sa ani nila maka-identify adunay reward nga ako ihatag,” he wrote in a post on Facebook.

Chan said the incident was already reported to the airport police, as well as at the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office-Station 5 in Barangay Pusok.

In a statement, GMCAC said it is closely coordinating with the police regarding the incident.

“We assure the public that this is an isolated case and strict measures are being taken to ensure that this kind of incident is not repeated. We also urge all passengers to remain vigilant and to always be mindful of their belongings. GMCAC, together with the concerned airport stakeholders, is committed to the highest standards of safety and security at MCIA,” GMCAC’s statement read. —JMD (FREEMAN)