Sta. Mesa bank robbed

Heavily armed holdup men stormed the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) branch in Sta. Mesa yesterday at 11:15 a.m., the second heist in Manila this month, carting away some P400,000 in cash.

The robbery, which only took only a few minutes, was accomplished with precision by the suspects, according to witnesses who claimed to have seen them and their get-away vehicle before. The police said witnesses have seen the robbers casing the bank a few days before.

The holdup men only scooped up the cash in the teller counters of the bank located at the corner of Sociego and Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in Sta. Mesa.

The robbers’ escape vehicle, a black Toyota Revo (HGF-895) was later recovered by responding lawmen after a few minutes at the nearby corner of Santol and Benito streets. Witnesses said the Revo’s occupants quickly transferred to taxi cabs.

One of the robbers came into the bank and then stepped out. When he returned, he was accompanied by three men who surprised the two guards by poking a gun at them and taking their caliber .38 pistols. The rest of the suspects armed with M-16 rifles stood as lookouts outside.

Probers said that the robbers could be members of either the "Waray-waray" or "Ilongo Group" based on their mode of operation.

Earlier, seven robbers hit the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) branch in Paco where some P80,000 was taken from the bank’s tellers along with the guards’ service firearms. The RCBC robbers also reportedly moved with speed and precision.

The RCBC robbery remains unsolved.

Meanwhile, four men barged into a home in Sampaloc, Manila, yesterday, hogtied its occupants and ransacked the house, taking cash and jewelry estimated to be worth P2 million.

Victim Dr. Narcisa Yee said the robbers came in through the gate at 5:45 a.m. when the family driver stepped out to wash their Pajero van outside.

Detective Mario Torrente said the suspects dragged driver Agustin Infesto inside where he was tied up with electrical cord, along with the two other maids, Dr. Yee and her six-year-old daughter.

One of the robbers was reportedly armed with a pistol.

"The robbers seemed to be amateurish and bickered about the loot even before they could go out of the house," said Torrente, after interviewing Dr. Yee.

The father in the family, a Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. adviser was not home as he was doing the night shift.

The bulk of the P2 million loot was comprised of watches, cellular phones, gold bracelets and rings, and cash of P350,000.

The victims were tied with their hands in front and Dr. Yee used her teeth to undo the electrical cord after the robbers left.

"It took some time before the victims could go out of the house and call for help because they were afraid that the suspects were still inside," said the investigator. Police have so far identified one of the robbers through its rogues gallery. – Jose Aravilla