7 nabbed in EDSA bus heist

MANILA, Philippines - Seven robbery suspects were caught in a bus along EDSA in Quezon City Monday night, just behind another bus whose passengers they had allegedly just robbed.

The seven men boarded a Nicolas Albert Transport bus along EDSA’s northbound lane near Centris Mall at around 9 p.m., robbed its passengers, then got off and boarded another bus from the same firm.

The driver of the first bus – who remains unidentified – dropped off the victims at a police community precinct near the Trinoma Mall, also along EDSA. At the time, Superintendent Pedro Sanchez, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 2 commander, was meeting with his police officers.

The passengers told Sanchez that the seven men who robbed them were in one of the buses behind them.

The QCPD Station 2 set up a checkpoint and arrested Jerry Lopez, 42; Arsenio Dapat, 34; Nelson Albia, 33; Raymond Pardo, 29; Bernabe Aceo, 32; Randy Matas, 28; and Jeffrey Almonte, 19.

Police officers confiscated seven bladed weapons from the suspects as well as P15,000, seven cell phones, a digital camera and four wristwatches they allegedly stole.

QCPD deputy director for administration Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao said Aceo and Matas had been arrested in July 2005 for another bus heist. The two were out on bail when they were arrested Monday night.

QCPD deputy director for operations Senior Superintendent Neri Ilagan said the suspects were mostly from the Batasan area and are believed to be responsible for bus heists along Commonwealth Avenue and EDSA.