City
Mayor Dan Lim warned criminals operating here in the city to "surrender or
die" as hold-uppers struck anew last Friday in two separate incidents victimizing
four employees of First Consolidated Bank Foundation along CPG Avenue and an employee
of Tagbilaran Cooperative Hospital for a total loot of almost P350,000.
During
his weekly radio program, Mayor Lim said he accepts the challenge of criminals
as they successively hit business establishments here in a span of two weeks.
He
issued the warning as he identified ex-convicts Ian Bautista, Michael Lao and
Ruben Raotraot among the suspects in the recent string of robbery-hold-ups.
He
guaranteed of additional motorcycles and vehicles for the city PNP to improve
their mobility. The intelligence networking in the city will also be reorganized
within the next 10 days, Mayor Lim assured.
The
mayor urged community support in fighting crime while he stressed that criminality
comes with the city's economic and population growth. | | | Even
as the mayor admitted there is a lack of manpower at the city police station,
he vowed for the apprehension of motorcycle and habal-habal drivers plying the
city streets that have no license plates and registration as past robbery-hold-up
suspects used motorcycles as their getaway vehicle.
Mayor
Lim will continue to crackdown on drinking joints and videoke bars with lewd shows
and impose tight security in banks and businesses.
Police
and barangay tanod outposts are also to be set up in four entry and exit points
of Tagbilaran, in barangays Manga, San Isidro, Bool and the Dauis junction. |
The
four FCB employees were just leaving the bank at CPG Avenue corner Belderol Street
aboard three motorcycles after withdrawing a combined amount of P330,000 around
2:30 in the afternoon, when three armed men blocked their path and declared a
hold-up.
The
suspects, armed with an Uzi and handguns, took the bag containing the cash which
was held by one of the victims identified as Gilbert Mumar, 25, a resident of
Tamblot Street, this city.
According
to Mumar, who was interviewed by the Chronicle moments after the incident, the
suspects took off in the direction of Cogon Market aboard a blue Honda XRM, parked
just a few meters along Belderol Street.
Delayed
reporting of the incident did not allow the city police to deploy quick response
teams and set-up checkpoints.
The
other three FCB employees were identified as Fernando Inguito, 39, resident of
Sta. Cruz, Baclayon town; Vinci Cosare, 24, a native of Bonbon, Clarin town and
one Rick Quijano.
FCB
Foundation president Panfilo Asares, in a separate interview with the Chronicle,
bared the cash taken by the hold-uppers were supposedly for livelihood support
projects the foundation financed in the towns of Dauis, Cortes and Balilihan,
due to be released to some 100 beneficiaries last Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile,
at around 8 o'clock in the evening also last Friday, one Elvira Papay, 39, a resident
of Kanangkaan, Corella town and an employee of the Tagbilaran Cooperative Hospital
was on her way home when she was held up by two armed men while she stopped by
Jojie's Bakeshop along the boundary of barangays Dao and San Isidro, this city.
The suspects took the victim's bag containing P4,000 and some valuables.
The
hold-uppers escaped aboard a red Honda XRM motorcycle.
While
there are already suspects for Florencio Lim Caltex Gas Station hold-up, the mayor
said the crime is still unsolved until the suspects are still free.
Charges
of robbery have been filed at the city prosecutors office last Thursday against
suspects Bautista and Lao after the two were positively identified from police
file photos presented to eyewitnesses.
Mayor
Lim stuck with his findings that the Unitop incident have been an "inside
job" as he pointed to Raotraot, live-in partner of the department store's
cashier Rufa Balingit, as the point-man of the hold-uppers.
Initial
investigations of the mayor last week revealed that Balingit was supposed to deposit
the P500,000 taken by the hold-uppers via an armored van going to the bank as
instructed by Unitop's manager who was in Manila that time. However, the cashier
insisted on depositing it personally.
The
city police conducted a tactical interrogation on Raotraot yesterday afternoon
after he had a confrontation with Mayor Lim during the latter's weekly radio program.
Mayor
Lim disclosed that Raotraot was tagged as a member of a crime syndicate that operated
in San Fernando, Pampanga where the latter previously resided.
Raotraot
was caught together with 13 others who were attempting a hold-up in Pampanga and
was charged for illegal possession of firearms as the robbery was pre-empted by
police.
This
was confirmed by the mayor through intelligence contacts. According to Mayor Lim,
a brother of Raotraot was also involved in a carnap case in barangay San Isidro,
this city.
The
mayor also criticized Unitop's security agency for refusing to cooperate with
police investigations. | 
