Robbers strike anew

CEBU, Philippines - After the P800,000 robbery in Lemery town on Wednesday, robbers struck again yesterday morning, this time, victimizing the PARECO-Panay Agrarian Cooperative, a lending company in Passi City, from which they ran off with P144,000 cash and some mobile phones.

The four robbers, however, were not as successful as those in the previous robbery incidents.

Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas, director of the Iloilo Provincial Police Office, said policemen from various stations in the province were able to arrest the four, one after the other, in nearby towns and recovered the money taken from the lending company.

Salinas identified the suspects as Cliff Raven Verde, 27, of Arevalo district in Iloilo City; Christopher John Bodales, 36, of Barangay Capuling in Dueñas town of Iloilo; Amy Baillo, 46, of Guadalupe in Janiuay; and Philip Defensor, 33, of Mina town.

Verde first fell into the hands of the police while he was at Barangay Gerongan in Lemery. He allegedly drove a blue sedan, which was the robbers’ getaway vehicle. Bodales came in next after he was arrested at Barangay Omio also in Lemery. The other two suspects, Baillo and Defensor, were arrested in San Rafael town.

Police reports said it was around 11:30 a.m. when one of the robbers entered the PARECO office, where six employees and two clients were inside at the time.

The robber then declared a hold-up while two armed companions directly went to the office of the audit manager and divested the people there with their cash, bags and mobile phones. The robbers then hurriedly left the scene on board the blue sedan.

After authorities were alerted about what happened, a flash alarm was sent to neighboring police stations resulting in the arrest of the four suspects.

It was the second robbery in Iloilo province this week. On Wednesday, motorcycle-riding armed men robbed Liezel Jativa, 35, manager of Palawan Pawnshop-Lemery branch, and fled with P800,000 cash.

On Monday, the IPPO said it was keeping a tight watch on newly freed convicted felons who were allegedly planning to stage a series of robberies in the province. Authorities believed that the robberies were part of the plans of an illegal drug ring to distract the IPPO from its sustained anti-illegal drugs campaign. (FREEMAN)