At least P30, 000 taken: Four robbers hit bank in Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines – Four robbers struck a rural bank in Mandaue City noontime yesterday taking not less than P30,000.

The robbers took only a few minutes to pull the heist at Banco Maximo located along A. O. del Rosario St. in barangay Guizo.

This is the first bank robbery in Metro Cebu since the 2008 heist of another rural bank also in Guizo back in 2008.

Last weekend, an outlet of LBC along A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue City was also robbed of P2,000.

Three men reportedly went inside Banco Maximo around 12:50 p.m. and declared a hold up. A fourth robber stayed outside to serve as lookout, said witnesses.

Three bank employees and the security guard were inside the establishment during the heist. They were identified as cashier Roselyn Saba, teller Marichu Entienza, and trainee Richie Remulta. The security guard was identified as Ernesto Doydora of R-Mac Security Agency.

Mandaue City Police Office Director Sr. Supt. Noel Gillamac personally handled the investigation of the case.

He said that the guard told him that one of the suspects knocked at the bank's door asking that he be allowed to enter the establishment. When the guard allowed the man inside, two others followed.

The employees did not think that those who went inside had evil intentions as they were well dressed.

When they were all inside, the three men did not waste time and immediately pulled out caliber .45 pistols and declared a robbery.

The employees and the guard were asked to lie face down on the floor and one of the robbers even took the caliber .38 pistol of Doydora.

The guard also claimed that when he tried to turn his head to look at the robbers, he was slapped and forced to lie flat.

The robbers then asked for the key to the vault from the cashier and emptied it of its contents before rushing across the street where their companion was waiting. 

The four men used two black motorcycles to flee the scene.

A witness said that the robbers fled towards barangay Centro and eluded the police roadblock.

The MCPO was notified of the heist when an alarm went off. The security system of the bank, which is provided by a private company, is linked directly to the police headquarters.

Gillamac said that two weeks ago they received reports of the presence of a robbery group here in Cebu and in fact he immediately ordered his men to inform all banks in the city and check their security systems.

When the MCPO personnel visited Banco Maximo, they suggested that the bank install security cameras aside from the alarm system linked to their provider.

The police also suggested that the bank request the agency providing them with guards to send a younger person as the one on duty was quite old.

The police already have a cartographic sketch of the robbers.

Investigation and Detective Management Bureau (IDMB) chief Ramil Morpos yesterday said that initially the bank management said it lost not less than P30,000, but an inventory is still being done to ascertain how much was really taken. -/NLQ (FREEMAN)