Reward raised to P200,000

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has doubled the reward for anyone who can give any information behind the daylight twin robberies of two pawnshops along Calderon Street, Cebu City last August 8, 2024.

Garcia previously announced that he will give P100,000 from his own pocket to anyone who can give information that will lead to the identification of the perpetrators behind the robberies of Macy’s Jewelry Store and D’Gold Chain (DGC) Jewelry Store along Calderon St. in Brgy. Ermita.

But in an interview yesterday, Aug.12, 2024, Garcia said the reward amount has doubled to P200,000.

According to Garcia, he is set to meet anew with the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) officer-in-charge, Police Colonel Antonieto Cañete to discuss the progress of the case.

Over the weekend, Garcia disclosed updates to the case including the initial identification of three suspects to five suspects. Garcia, however, refused to divulge any matter further as investigation is still ongoing and police are still strengthening their case buildup.

According to Garcia, they wouldn't want a similar incident to happen again wherein the alleged mastermind of the robbery of Oro Sugbo Pawnshop and Jewelry Store along Colon St. late last year was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

“Dakong posibilidad nga naa pa sila (suspects) sa Cebu,” he said.

Garcia has stressed that Cañete’s recommendation as full-fledged CCPO director will remain uncertain should the twin robbery case not be solved. He reiterated that this remains as the primary determining factor for his recommendation.

Following the robbery, Garcia gave the CCPO 48 hours to solve the case, putting Cañete’s recommendation on the line.

As the 48 hours ended, Garcia said he gave Cañete a chance since leads on the investigation had already been mapped out.

“But I told him that his permanency will really depend on this case a lot,” said Garcia.

Garcia added that he no longer gave Cañete a timeframe as an ultimatum for his recommendation since he saw progress during the 48 hours. He, however, said that the investigation and the prosecution are still being pinned on his fate.

“Ana ko, Colonel, wa baya gyud koy pagkuwang nimo ha,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) is grateful for the support of the Cebu City government, especially the reward offered by Garcia.

As such, the police have assured that strict security would be provided to the person who will give information to the authorities.

Robbery update

In a press conference yesterday, Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, SITG spokesperson, said they are currently working to pinpoint where the suspects came from, but have noted that they believe some of them are not from Cebu.

The SITG has earlier mentioned that they have a person of interest (POI) and initially told the media that there are at least not less than six robbers.

Macatangay also revealed that these POIs have been involved in previous crimes and have a history of conflict with the law in Cebu.

When asked when the police will file criminal charges against the robbers, Macatangay explained that the SITG is still focused on ensuring that their evidence against the POIs are accurate in order to build a strong case.

“We are just trying to ensure that the evidence that we have will really be tight and can stand the case in court,” added Macatangay.

Macatangay said they have received leads, but are withholding details for now as the SITG is still pursuing crucial information that could help in identifying some of the individuals involved in the crime.

“There is really valuable information that we are holding right now that could lead us to identify some of the people involved in that particular incident,” said Macatangay.

Describing it as a "complex process," Macatangay said that the robbery was meticulously planned and executed based on the evidence they have collected. — (FREEMAN)