Cebu bank rob an inside job

CEBU CITY — It was an inside job.

Wednesday’s P2-million robbery at Metrobank’s Ramos-Maxilom branch here that resulted in the death of a night shift guard was a conspiracy that involved another of the bank’s guards.

The early morning robbery at the Metrobank branch along F. Ramos street corner General Maxilom Avenue resulted in the loss of P2 million and the death of security guard Alejandro Puza.

Police filed charges of robbery with homicide the other day against guard Joel Empiedad who admitted during investigation that he had a previous agreement with the robbers.

Empiedad implicated five others in the crime, including a certain Nicolas Faran, allegedly a former barangay chairman of Po-og in Toledo City.

In a sworn statement, Empiedad said Faran, a godfather at his wedding in 1996, was the alleged leader of a robbery syndicate in Toledo City, also his hometown.

Empiedad was employed by Puritan Industrial Security Agency since 1999 but was detailed at the bank only on the day of the incident.

He said four men were waiting for him when he reported to the bank at 5:50 a.m. of June 26 based on their previous agreement that he would let them inside.

He said the men, whom he never knew by name, first contacted him last June 18, introducing themselves as men of Faran. They wanted his cooperation in gaining entry to the bank before it opened at 9 a.m. — Freeman News Service