Warehouse for hijacked vans?

A warehouse suspected to be a holding area for hijacked container vans and stolen vehicles was discovered by a city government inspection team the other night in Valenzuela City.

Mayor Jose Emmanuel "Bobbit" Carlos’ action team, assisted by operatives from Police Community Precint 1, went to inspect the said warehouse on Bonifacio Drive, Victoria Village, Canumay East, Valenzuela City at around 6 p.m. last Thursday.

Valenzuela police chief Superintendent Jose Marcelo said the inspection team initially spotted, through holes in the wall, two Mitsubishi Adeventures, one black (JBL-307) the other moss green (WNY-500), a white Isuzu Elf aluminum van (URV-853) with "LHT" markings on both sides of the passenger cab, and three container vans (two 40-footers and one 20-footer). The team, however, could not enter the padlocked warehouse in the absence of a search warrant secured only yesterday afternoon from regional trial court Judge Floro Alejo.

Willie Victoriano of the City Public Information Office told The STAR they surprised two persons inside the warehouse compound one identified only as "Lim," the alleged caretaker, and a Filipino welder, who remains unnamed. The duo fled upon seeing the raiding team.

Chief Inspector John Chua, PCP 1 commander, said that some two weeks prior to the inspection, they received information from the local community about suspicious activities going on in the warehouse.

"Residents nearby reported that many vehicles were seen during the night entering the unlighted warehouse which appeared unoccupied," Chua said.

The officer said further that some two weeks ago they received a flash alarm reporting the alleged loss of a hijacked fully loaded container van from Veinte Reales in Valenzuela City on the way to the Manila International Container Port (MICP) at South Harbor.

Victoriano said a certain Monching Rulloque, owner of the Cee-Que Brokerage, reported to the police the loss of a 40-foot container van loaded with 353 units of Kyowa rice dispensers for export and another 40-footer with 200 bolts of cloth.

Rulloque said the vans were allegedly hijacked by the driver identified only as James Bernales and a still unidentified helper.