3 men take bag, but missed cash: Toledo bizman dies in robbery

CEBU, Philippines – A hardware store owner was killed in an apparent robbery in Toledo City Saturday night.

Three unidentified men, who were on board a motorcycle, took off with a backpack containing bank documents after shooting Proceso Anonas, 48 years old, who was about to enter his residence along D. Macapagal Highway, barangay Poblacion, Toledo City.

Anonas owned Four Star Enterprises, located in the barangay Poblacion of the city in the western side of Cebu province.The store sells lumber and other materials.

Police said that the victim had just alighted hismotorcycle when three men on board another motorcycle came near him.

Two of the three robbers got off their motorcycle and one of them pulled out a gun and fired without provocation.

After Anonas fell, the robbers took his backpack that contained a PNB checkbook, bankbook and certificate of long-term deposit; a Metrobank certificate of time deposit; six checks paid by clients; coins estimated to be about P2,000; and assorted documents.

Regina, the wife of the victim, was the one who gave the policemen the list of items inside Anonas’ bag.The robbers, however, missed the P177, 380 cash that the victim placed inside his pants’ pocket.

The money was recovered at the hospital when the police examined the body.

Witnesses said that Anonas was rushed to the Toledo City District Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

He sustained gunshot wounds of the upper left portion of his chest and also his left arm.

Police recovered only one empty shell and one deformed caliber .45 slug from the crime scene.

SPO4 Gil Lastimosa told The FREEMAN that Anonas was one of the big time businessmen in Toledo City.

Witnesses also said that the robbers wore masks.

Chief Insp. Jovito Canlapan, chief of the Toledo City Police Station, told The FREEMAN that they are still working on identifying the suspects.

The police are also checking if there have been threats made against the victim.

Canlapan said that the robbers must have known that Anonas would be carrying a lot of money.

This is the second time in two weeks that a businessman was killed by unidentified robbers in Cebu’s western side.

Last June 29, Vincent Delfin Recamora, 43, was killed after two robbers barged into his house in sitio Tunga, barangay Cantuod, Balamban.

The robbers shot Recamora at close range several times before taking away an estimated P300,000.

Recamora was watching television in his living room when the armed robbers, who were clad in all black outfits and had bonnets, entered his house through the backdoor.

The money taken from the victim was earnings from his store at the Balamban Public Market. — with Lesley Caminade/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)