Robbers strike in two motels

Even motels are not safe from armed robbers these days.

Armed robbers struck at two motels in Caloocan City and Sta. Mesa, Manila the other night and yesterday morning, carting away at least P70,000 in cash and left behind a driver dead.

In the first incident which occurred at the Wise Hotel along Caimito Road in Caloocan City at about 9 p.m. last Friday, two young lovers were almost robbed by two knife-wielding men.

Police reports said the arrested suspects identified as Victor Banayad, 26, of 1 Pascual St., Barangay Tangos, Navotas; and Fernando Fuentes, 27, of 61 Domingo St., also of Barangay Tangos, Navotas; managed to enter the four-story motel without being noticed at about 8 p.m.

Police said the suspects, reportedly high on drugs, then waited for potential victims at the hotel’s ground floor.

An hour later, the suspects spotted the two victims and followed them to their room at the hotel’s fourth floor.

According to police, the suspects, pretending to be roomboys, knocked at the victim’s room. When the victims opened the room, the suspects robbed them at knifepoint of their cash and valuables.

However, the man managed to struggle with the suspects triggering a commotion that attracted the attention of some roomboys. The suspects were later overpowered and were taken to the police. According to police investigators, the victims refused to file charges against the suspects.

Things were, however, different at the Anito Lodge along Valenzuela St. in Sta. Mesa, Manila, when five men armed with guns robbed it of its P70,000 earnings and killed a motel service car driver.

Reports reaching the homicide section of the Western Police District identified the victim as Pedro Decera, 36, a native of Biliran, Leyte.

Investigation showed that Decera was parking one of the motel’s service cars at the motel’s parking lot when the robbers struck at about 6 a.m.

The suspects, armed with handguns proceeded immediately to the motel’s cashier and held-up cashier Alfredo Alhambra, 39, of 71-C Bagong Silang, Parang, Marikina City.

After taking the P70,000 earnings of the motel at gunpoint, the robbers then robbed the motel employees of their cash and valuables.

After taking their loot, the robbers went to the motel’s parking lot and looked for a car to use in their escape. They chanced upon Decera and ordered him to get out of a red Toyota Corolla car with plate number PRZ963 and hand over the key.

When the victim refused, the robbers shot him in the left shoulder, killing him on the spot. The robbers then boarded the car and fled. Police are still tracking down the suspects.