LRTA head office robbed

Around 10 armed men barged into the head office of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) in Tramo, Pasay City and robbed its employees of money and valuables Monday night.

Chief Inspector Reynaldo Paculan, who heads the Pasay police station Investigation and Detective Management Section, said it only took the suspects 30 minutes to rob LRTA’s 22 employees.

Initial investigation showed that at about 9:30 p.m., two security guards were manning Gate 1 of the LRTA compound when two red-plated vehicles – a silver Toyota Revo (SFV-104) and a green Mitsubishi Adventure (SFV-105) – parked in front of the gate. 

Two armed men alighted from the vehicle and informed the guards that they came to check the area after they received a report that there was a problem inside the office. The suspects were reportedly wearing fatigue uniforms, vests and shirts printed with the word “police.”

Guard Crisanto Bornales used his handheld radio to verify the report with the other guards, and told the armed men that the report was false. It was at this point that the armed men forced their way into the compound, threatening Bornales and five other security guards with their “high-powered” firearms. They were taken to a dimly lit portion of the compound, where the suspects took their cell phones.

The other suspects proceeded to the administration office and ordered the 16 employees to lock themselves inside the comfort room. They were divested of their cell phones, other electronic gadgets and money.

Senior Superintendent Marietto Valerio, Pasay police chief, said that they already launched a follow-up operation to track down the suspects.

Valerio said the same group could have been responsible for other robberies around Metro Manila.