Firm loses P1.7M cash to robbers

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — The Crispina Abella Company of this city was the latest victim of a robbery pulled off in broad daylight Friday by still unidentified masked robbers, who fled with P1,775,000 in cash.

The firm is owned by Crispina Abella, a resident of Pres. Carlos P. Garcia North Avenue at Barangay Taloto, this city, where the establishment is also located.

Police report said one of the two robbers aimed a gun on the head of 49-year-old Juliana Yonto Ybañez, the firm’s secretary, and grabbed her bag containing the money, which she had just withdrawn from a bank at Barangay Cogon.

Ybañez had just disembarked from her car, upon arriving at the company’s building across Geesnell Merchandise, owned by the city mayor’s family. She said the other robber also pointed a gun at her driver, Bartolome Lacata.

The company used to withdraw money from the bank every Friday for its weekend’s expenses, Ybañez told the police.

Superintendent George Vale, Tagbilaran Police chief, together with Senior Inspector Adriano Bacus and members of the Quick Response Team, arrived at the scene, but the two robbers, wearing bonnets to cover their faces, immediately sped off on their red Honda XRM motorcycle towards Barangay Manga.

Police, however, found out the firm’s closed circuit television camera was not functioning when the heist took place. (FREEMAN)