20 robbers hit Pasig paint firm

At least 20 heavily armed men, wearing military uniforms, disarmed six security guards and herded 20 employees of a paint firm in Pasig City into a room before escaping with an undermined amount of cash Wednesday.

Eastern Police District (EPD) director Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz said the robbers, some wearing bullet-proof vests, stayed in the compound of Welbert Manufacturing Inc. along E. Rodriguez street in Barangay Santolan, for more than an hour before escaping in two vehicles towards Cainta, Rizal.

“Nobody among the victims managed to report the incident to the police. The robbery (happened) while we are maximizing our security deployment to Muslim communities at the end of the Ramadan,” De la Cruz said.

Initial reports showed that robbers in a van (government plate ZFV-105) appeared at the gate of the firm at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The EPD director said security guard Richard Gallarado, 43, thought the suspects were policemen from Camp Crame out to conduct inspections inside the compound.

Gallarado opened the gate and approached the vehicle.

“He was surprised when the suspects pointed their M16 Armalite rifles and M203 grenade launchers at him,” De la Cruz said.

A white van (ZLE-906) followed the first vehicle into the compound.  

Once inside, the suspects disarmed five other security guards and ordered them to lie face down on the cement floor. They then herded the security guards and at least 20 employees into a room, but not before confiscating their cell phones.

A number of the suspects then proceeded to the main office where they forced open a vault containing cash.

The firm’s management is presently conducting an inventory of the missing cash and items they lost to the robbers.

Senior Superintendent Francisco Uyami Jr, Pasig City police chief, said two employees identified Alvin Flores as allegedly among the robbers through the police rogue gallery.

Police tagged Flores’ gang as behind the rash of robberies in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Uyami said he dispatched tracker teams to conduct follow-up operations against Flores and his gang.