CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna – Police took into custody the two security guards of the Cabuyao branch of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) even after they tested negative for gunpowder burns, indicating both were not among the gunmen who killed 10 people inside the bank last Friday.
Police said guards Joel de la Cruz and Regidor Sapaon will still be under custody for further questioning over Friday’s incident, now considered as the worst case of bank robbery in the country.
The two guards will also BE subjected to polygraph tests AT the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), police said.
De la Cruz and Sapaon were earlier reported missing shortly after the murders.
Sapaon later showed up at the bank where he was immediately taken into questioning.
De la Cruz, on the other hand, surrendered after learning that he was named as a possible suspect.
“My sisters and mom informed me that I was one of the suspects; I was on vacation leave,” he said.
Following the results of the paraffin tests, De la Cruz said he would finally have peace of mind.
He admitted he was worried over the gunpowder tests, pointing out that he fired his shotgun when he was ignored by two unidentified men climbing the bank fence days before the murders occurred.
“It was recorded in the logbook, I know our SOP (standard operating procedure),” he said.
The two guards are still under the custody of the regional police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), citing security reasons.
The provincial police have their hands full trying to solve the RCBC murder and the killing of eight people in Calamba last Sunday.
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the two mass murder incidents should serve as a wake-up call for the country’s law enforcement agencies.
While the two were isolated incidents, Gonzales said steps must be taken to ensure that they do not happen again.
“What is important is that we come up with solutions. Sometimes there really are incidents that are beyond our control but we should always be prepared,” he said.
Gonzales said proposals to put stricter controls on possession of firearms are worth considering, although he expressed some reservations on the move.
He pointed out that criminal elements would not be affected by this restriction since they do not register their firearms anyway.
The best solution, he said, is to disarm all armed criminal elements.
According to Gonzales, at the very least, police visibility should be intensified, which he said is already being done.
Gonzales noted police efforts to intensify security implementation, particularly in Metro Manila, following the RCBC robbery.
This developed as the Philippine National Police (PNP) proposed to bank owners to prioritize and invest in security systems for their establishments.
The Joint Anti-Bank Robbery Action Committee (JABRAC) made the recommendation during a meeting at PNP headquarters in Camp Crame yesterday.
Deputy Director General Emmanuel Carta, PNP Deputy Chief for Operations who presided over the meeting, urged the Bank Security Management Association (BSMA) to make security their top priority.
The PNP recommended that alarm systems and installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems must be among the priorities of banks.
PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. earlier ordered the implementation of the security clustering system in banking areas. Under this system, a police team under a supervisor will be assigned to provide security in each clustered area.
Razon also ordered police field units to establish checkpoint operations even during daytime, especially during banking hours.
Razon led an inspection of various banks in Pasay City yesterday.
He also inspected a road checkpoint established along EDSA, primarily to implement the “No Plate, No Travel” policy. –With Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe