Manor Hotel robbery suspect arrested

MANILA, Philippines — One of the three men arrested during a drug sting in Marikina City last Saturday admitted to taking part in The Mabuhay Manor Hotel robbery in Pasay City last Jan. 2, police said yesterday.

Rene Cachila, 24, confessed during his interrogation. He was arrested along with his elder brother, Ricky, 31, and Sophia Dumdum, 27, said Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Biay, Eastern Police District director.

“We are now coordinating with the Pasay City police to determine the veracity of the suspect’s confession,” Biay said in an interview.

“Once what he said is proven true, we (strongly believe) that the hotel robbery is solved.”

The Cachila brothers and Dumdum were arrested in Barangay Nangka at about 7:16 p.m. by the members of the station drug enforcement unit.

The trio allegedly yielded five sachets of shabu and P500 marked money.

Senior Superintendent Roger Quesada, Marikina police chief, said the younger Cachila pointed to Ramoncito Calilap, alias Taks, 27, as the one who masterminded and planned the Manor robbery, while he identified one of his cohorts as a certain Mark.

Calilap was arrested, also by the Marikina police, last March 19 during a sting in which he allegedly sold an Ingram MAC-11 subcompact machine pistol for P25,000.

He also surrendered a caliber .45 pistol and a sachet of shabu. He is being held on drug and gun charges.

Four heavily armed men entered Mabuhay Manor the day after New Year and divested guests of their cash and personal belongings, including the hotel’s P33,000 earnings.

Among the victims were overseas Filipino worker Dominador Castro and his family, who were robbed of $15,800; gadgets worth $7,000; a Rolex watch valued at $13,000; and jewelry worth $29,950.

The suspects escaped using a black Hyundai Starex van heading towards Roxas Boulevard.

The robbery was caught by several CCTV cameras, but the Pasay police had no idea who staged the robbery until Cachila confessed.