Western Union robbed of P200K

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  — Two men successfully pulled off a robbery at a branch of remittance company Western Union at B. Aquino Ave. in Mandurriao district of this city at noon yesterday.

The branch was just a stone-throw away from a mall and just across the Community Police Action Center (COMPAC) outpost of the Mandurriao Police Station.

At around 12:05 p.m., a robber entered the Western Union, as the security guard left his post to buy and take his lunch. He played his part like an ordinary customer. Shortly later, his companion entered the single-room building and they announced hold-up. A lone client was present at the time.

The first robber then aimed his gun on employees Catherine Estilo, Julie Camag, and Rowelyn Sorongon.

The robbers, while gathering the money from the drawers and placing this into a green plastic bag, ordered the employees to go under their desks. After a few minutes, the robbers went out of the building carrying their loot, which according to informants amounted to P200,000.

Before leaving the scene, they warned the employees not to get out or call for help. They boasted that a number of their cohorts were outside the place and were ready to take out anyone who would ask for help.

They then fled on foot. It was not known yet if the robbers later got on a motorcycle or they just wandered at nearby areas.

The incident was only reported to police authorities at around 12:30 p.m. when members of the Motorized Anti-Street Crime Operations (MASCO) rounded nearby villages to run after the perpetrators.

Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio, City Police director, also lamented that the guard did not know what to do during that situation. “He did not report the incident to police authorities. He did not call for help. He was just at the door when our policemen arrived,” he said.

It was gathered that one of the employees went out of the building after sometime and asked for help from a security guard of the adjacent car trading company. This guard was the one who eventually asked for help from the COMPAC outpost.

It was later learned that the Western Union employees did not know any police number. Police investigators believed that the employees were confident that no one would attempt to rob them citing their proximity to guards-teemed SM mall and the police outpost. As of presstime, Valerio said that they have no leads on the suspects of the incident. “What makes it harder for us is the fact that the branch has no closed-circuit television cameras,” he said.

It was gathered that all branches of Western Union in Iloilo have no CCTV cameras. The employees could not also give out a clear description of the men who robbed them. “Had they relayed the information to us, the scenario could have been different,” Valerio said.

Valerio said it would be too early to tell if the robbery was related to the hold-up incident of another Western Union branch in Pototan, Iloilo early last year. In that incident, police had arrested three suspects who were allegedly members of the Small Ilonggo Group that operates in Iloilo but sometimes strikes in Metro Manila.

Because of what happened, police personnel will again make the rounds on establishments that are perceived to have lenient security.