Two men steal laptop from Sogod convent

CEBU, Philippines - Two unidentified persons who pretended to be cousins of Reverend Father Eduardo Mercileones, Sogod Parish Priest, allegedly stole a laptop after they were left by the nun who received them inside the convent past 10 a.m. last Tuesday.

Initial investigation revealed that at around 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, two unidentified persons went to the convent and introduced themselves as cousins of Fr. Mercileones.

The two persons were entertained by Sister Lavina Atuban, a nun assigned at the parish rectory.

She was told by the two that they need the priest’s help for their tuition fee and they need to talk to the priest.

Since the priest was not around, the nun offered the two lunch but they declined, saying they will just eat lunch in Catmon town where there is a fiesta celebration.

The nun left them outside the convent, saying she needed to do household chores in the kitchen.

But when she came back several minutes later, the two persons were not around and the laptop that was placed on top of the table in the convent was already missing.

The matter was immediately reported to the police. But Mercileones later told the police that he did not know the two men. 

Meanwhile, in a span of four days, another agent of a tobacco company was robbed by armed persons on board a motorcycle Tuesday morning in Barangay Baring, Carmen town.

The men took P20,000 from the agent and fled immediately.

Ramel Potot, 37, driver, Leopoldo Linihan, 45, salesman and Joseph Justol, 20, junior salesman, were padlocked inside the delivery van after the robbers took the cash.

PO1 Cristito Aresco, desk officer of Carmen Police Station, said that Linihan left Potot and Justol in the van while he was trying to deliver packs of cigarettes in a store five meters away.

Minutes after Linihan left, three unidentified robbers armed with hand guns arrived and one of the robbers pointed a .38 caliber revolver at him and took the cash.

The other two robbers went to the van and pointed a caliber .45 pistol at Potot and Justol and took the latter’s shirt and perfume.

The robbers ordered the victims to get inside the van and padlocked them before fleeing away onboard a motorcycle.

The police are conducting further investigation into the incident because, according to Aresco, similar incidents in northern and southern Cebu were reported earlier.  — (FREEMAN)