Robbery of Chinese tourists in Medellin alarms officials

CEBU, Philippines- The broad daylight robbery in Barangay Curva, Medellin Saturday afternoon involving four Chinese tourists has alarmed the officials in the place.

Cebu fourth district Representative Benhur Salimbangon and Provincial Board Member Joven Mondigo Jr. said it was the first time that an incident happened in the highway along with the vast sugarcane plantation in the town.

 “I am alarmed by the daring broad daylight highway robbery that happened in my district. This is a big challenge, this is a direct assault against our PNP organization. It seems the perpetrators do not have fear or respect anymore to our PNP organization,” Salimbangon said.

 Salimbangon said he has already called Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Noel Gillamac and asked him to conduct a thorough investigation to solve the case as soon as possible.

 “Otherwise the trust and confidence of our foreign tourists and our tourism industry will be very much affected,” he said.

 Salimbangon has been pushing for the declaration of the entire fourth district into an eco-tourism zone with Bantayan and Malapascua islands being known to tourists.

The PB through a resolution sponsored by Mondigo also urged Gillamac to investigate the incident.

Salimbangon asked Police Regional Office-7 Director Prudencio “Tom” Bañas to extend full support to CPPO in the conduct of the investigation and “leave no stone unturned until this case is solved.”

Salimbangon believes a local contact may have been helping the robbers.

 “How would they know nga naa’y upat ka tourist nagsakay og awto nga atangan lang didto?” he said.

The four Chinese were on their way to Daanbantayan when two armed persons robbed them and their driver at around 1 p.m.

The unidentified robbers took at least P150,000 worth of cash and valuables from Danni Yu, 33; Peijing Zhuang, 63; Jue Zhang, 33; and Xu Wu, 32, and van driver Jerome Enriquez, 23.

 On Saturday morning, Enriquez reportedly fetched the foreigners, who had just arrived from China, at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The four were going for a vacation in Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan.  (FREEMAN)