2 town halls lose P80T to burglars

CEBU, Philippines - The municipal halls of Compostela and Carmen towns in northern Cebu were burglarized by unidentified men who carted away cash amounting to P80,000.

The incident in Compostela Municipal Hall was discovered yesterday morning, while the burglary in Carmen town was detected on Monday morning.

Chief Inspector Fructuoso Lim, Jr., acting police chief of Compostela town, said they believe that two to three persons burglarized the municipal hall.

At about 8 a.m. yesterday, Arlene Tanuay, revenue collector of the Municipal Treasurer's Office of Compostela, reported the burglary.

Initial investigation conducted by Police Officer 3 Renato Prieto disclosed that unknown persons gained entrance at the back portion of the municipal hall by climbing through the water tank railing.

Inside the building, the thieves forcibly destroyed the door to the Municipal Treasurer's Office, opened the steel vault and drawers and took the cash inside amounting to P75,000.

The suspects also tried to open the steel vault of Municipal Treasurer Cleofe Gonzales but failed.

Compostela police investigators sought the assistance of the Cebu Provincial Police Office Scene of the Crime investigators who was able to lift several latent prints inside the treasurer's office.

Mayor Joel Quiño, who was attending an important meeting in Cebu City yesterday when the burglary was reported, directed the town police chief to fast-track the investigation into the incident.

Vice Mayor Josephine Abing told reporters that they will look for funds to purchase closed-circuit television cameras for the municipal hall.

Abing expressed dismay over the failure of the police to prevent the incident considering that the police station is just adjacent to the municipal hall building.

In Carmen town, unknown persons also burglarized the Municipal Treasurer's Office and stole P4,800 cash.

The incident was discovered Monday morning by some employees who entered the municipal hall building.

While Monday was a holiday, some of the municipal employees reported for work in preparation for the incoming fiesta celebration tomorrow.

Lucilo Bontia, 44, an employee of the Municipal Treasurer's Office, said the thieves entered through the back portion of the office and destroyed the lock of the sliding window.

Bontia said he noticed that his table drawer was forcibly opened and the P4,800 was already missing.

Further investigation is being conducted by the police to identify the suspects.—  (FREEMAN)