Birhen sa Regla jewelry stolen

CEBU, Philippines - A week after devotees flocked to pay homage to Lapu-Lapu City’s patron saint, Our Lady of the Rule, thieves carted away the jewelry pinned on the image including cash donations.

Lapu-Lapu City celebrated its annual fiesta last November 21 in which thousands of devotees visited the church until Tuesday evening.

The theft was discovered at around 3:20 a.m. yesterday by a Parish Security Guard and utility personnel assigned to clean-up the shrine.

Hiram Miranda, 29, a stay-in Parish Security Guard, told police investigators that when he opened the door of the shrine along with two utility personnel Rogelio Cougal and Virgilio Camposo, they noticed that the left side of the glass covering the Our Lady of the Rule statue was forcibly detached.

Miranda said that they noticed that the 69 gold necklaces, 70 gold rings and 16 gold bracelets which was worn by the image and pinned to its body were missing.  The thieves only left three rings and earrings.

After the discovery of the lost of jewelry and cash donations, church officials suspended the visit while police investigation is going on.

Father Agustin Polong, shrine in-charge, who confirmed to reporters the loss of the jewelry and cash donations, said the jewelry pieces were donations from devotees here and abroad whose prayers were heard and from those who received blessings.

 ‘Kadtong tanan nga gikuha pulos gyud to mga gihatag sa atong mga kaigsoonan nga mga debotos sa mahal nga birhen, (All those which were stolen were all gifts from devotees of our Lady.)” said Father Polong.

He said some donated jewelry pieces are kept in the church vault for safety.

“Ato lang gihapon nga giampo ang mga tawo nga nagpasipala sa mga alahas sa atong mahal nga birhen ug nagkuha sa mga donasyon nga malamdagan ang ilang hunahuna, (Let us pray for those who took the jewelry of our beloved Lady of the Rule and those who took the donations that their minds will be enlightened.)” said Father Polong.

Polong said they are now awaiting the results of the investigation conducted by the police.  He confirmed that the Church personnel and he himself will undergo the lie detector test as requested by the police investigators.

Father Jaime Duero, the parish priest of the Our Lady of the Rule National Shrine Parish, is in Manila to attend a gathering of the Missionaries of Sacred Heart.

A CCTV camera was installed at the shrine, but Father Polong said that it malfunctioned a week before the fiesta celebration. Police investigators believe the robbery is an inside job citing the familiarity in the access to the image. — /MIT (FREEMAN)