Mourners at Rico’s wake victimized by car thieves

Metro Manila police chief Director Edgar Aglipay deployed plainclothes policemen yesterday at the wake of actor Rico Yan in La Salle-Greenhills amid reports that members of "bukas-kotse" and "salisi" car theft gangs have victimized five mourners.

Aglipay directed Senior Superintendent Sakurno Ikbala, Mandaluyong City police chief, to personally supervise the deployment and see to it that such robbery incidents do not happen again until Yan, Aglipay’s nephew, is laid to rest tomorrow.

It was not clear how many plainclothesmen would be deployed in Yan’s wake, but Aglipay stressed their specific job is to go after bukas-kotse gangmen and other petty criminals.

"We don’t want those incidents to happen again so we deployed detectives to prevent petty criminals from taking advantage of the situation," said Aglipay in an interview.

The first to be victimized by robbers was the GMA-7 van parked along Ortigas Avenue in Greenhills last March 31.

A showbiz reporter identified only as "Eagle" claimed he lost his bag containing cash, ATM cards, pieces of jewelry and important documents to robbers.

Eagle said the doors of the GMA-7 van were found locked but the robber could have fished out his bag by forcibly opening the rear window.

He later learned that actress Princess Punzalan and three unidentified former classmates of Yan were also victimized by the bukas-kotse gangmen.

Punzalan lost her bag containing her Walkman and makeup kit.

Aglipay said only the GMA-7 van robbery was reported to the police.

At least 100 security personnel from ABS-CBN, Yan’s mother studio, are securing the area and Aglipay clarified that there was no need for the deployment of additional uniformed policemen there.

"We have policemen in all doors of the school and the security of the entire premises was left in the hands of ABS-CBN management," said Aglipay, noting that the plainclothesmen would be deployed round-the-clock.

Aglipay said the Yan family also set up public assistance centers to maintain order in the area.

Meanwhile, all roads leading to La Salle Greenhills will be fully secured when President Arroyo pays a visit tonight to the wake of Yan.

Superintendent James Bucayu, operations division chief of the Eastern Police District (EPD), said the San Juan police will provide security along the route of Mrs. Arroyo and her party.

Bucayu said traffic policemen from the Eastern Traffic Enforcement Group (ETEG) will be deployed from EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, up to Ortigas Avenue corner Connecticut street in Greenhills.

The District Mobile Group (DMG) will support the deployment activity of the Mandaluyong City police.

Two security teams will also cover the outer perimeter of La Salle Greenhills, Bucayu said.

The EPD deployment is separate from the security cordon of the Presidential Security Group tasked to protect Mrs. Arroyo.