Possible suspects identified

CEBU, Philippines — The 48-hour ultimatum of Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia for the police to solve the two-jewelry-store robbery expired yesterday, with authorities already having the identities of persons of interest (POI).

With a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) now handling the investigation, law enforcers now have the possible identities of the six to eight men involved in the brazen daylight robbery of Macy’s Jewelry Store and D’Gold Chain (DGC) Jewelry Store last August 8.

Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) deputy city director for operations and SITG spokesperson, said they have obtained leads that will assist them in their investigation, which is progressing as they follow up on these new developments.

In particular, a conference meeting was convened to coordinate efforts and strategize the response and to discuss the ongoing investigation into the twin robbery incidents that have raised significant concerns among the public.

The SITG, composed of various police units from across Central Visayas, is led by CCPO Acting Director Antonietto Cañete, with Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 Deputy Regional Director for Operations Noel Flore as supervisor and PRO-7 Regional Intelligence Division-7 Chief Gervacio Balmaceda, Jr. as assistant supervisor.

The team also includes Regional Intelligence Unit-7 Chief Russel Maca, Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division-7 Chief Ireneo Dalogdog, and representatives from national support units such as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7, Philippine National Police Forensic Unit 7, and the Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit.

In a Facebook post, Ramil V. Ayuman from the Office of the Acting Mayor announced that criminal cases will be filed against three suspects next week, while police authorities continue their manhunt for the robbers.

Authorities have yet to confirm this, however, with Garcia unavailable for comment. He earlier warned Can~ete being made into a full-fledged CCPO director would be in jeopardy if he (Can~ete) cannot solve the incident within 48 hours.

Sought for her comment, Macatangay stated that no criminal complaints could be filed yet tomorrow because they still need to bolster the evidence to build an airtight case.

"Not yet. (The) investigation is ongoing. We have obtained valuable leads, but we still need to strengthen the gathered evidence to have a tight case", she said.

The Freeman also learned that late afternoon yesterday, Garcia, Cañete, Carbon Police Station Chief Philip John Libres, and other officials conducted yet another private meeting to discuss developments in the investigation.

Meanwhile, the police have not stopped their manhunt operation and are now closely monitoring key entry and exit points, including ports in Cebu and neighboring islands like Bohol, to prevent the robbers from escaping Cebu. — (FREEMAN)