3 suspects in latest Commonwealth Avenue bank heist arrested

MANILA, Philippines - Three of the 20 suspected members of the Ampang-Colangco robbery group, tagged in a bank robbery along Commonwealth Avenue last July 15, were arrested in Quezon City Wednesday.

Armando Guno, alias Allan, 35; Joel Roellano, 39; and Gary Padilla, 32, all residents of Caloocan City, yielded two MK IV .45 caliber pistols, a .38 Smith and Wesson caliber revolver, a fragmentation grenade, a silencer for a .45 caliber pistol, a Suzuki motorcycle (4292 ND) owned by Guno, and a beige Toyota Vios (ZMR-635) registered in the name of Dolores Cruz Quizon.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said the suspects were out to rob a depositor who was about to withdraw a large amount of money from a bank along Morato Avenue when they were intercepted at the intersection of Morato Avenue and Scout Fernandez street.

Senior Superintendent Joel Napoleon Coronel, chief of the CIDG National Capital Region (NCR), said the owner of the Toyota Vios may be the same Dolly Quizon who claimed ownership of a brand new red Toyota Innova that members of the Las Piñas police station seized last April 3, 2011 at a checkpoint.

Coronel said Guno and four other alleged members of the robbery group were using the Innova as a getaway car when they were arrested at the checkpoint for illegal possession of firearms. He added that Guno has a standing warrant of arrest in Las Piñas for the said incident.

He said another alleged gang member, Eduardo Nobleza alias Komang, eluded arrest. Coronel noted that Nobleza was also among the suspects in the latest bank robbery.

Robbers’ cooperative

Coronel said Guno also admitted that he knows Ricky Cadavero, whose group is in the CIDG’s watchlist of organized crime syndicates. Guno said they worked together in previous robberies, including the Commonwealth Avenue heist.

Guno admitted his group joined forces with dreaded Waray-Waray, Ozamis and Solido robbery groups in staging heists at a gas station in Mandaluyong City in October 2010, and bill payment and money remittance centers in Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque and Bulacan province.

Coronel also said Guno admitted helping rob more than 100 Indian nationals in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.