Robbers take P200,000 from Cebu rural bank

At least two men armed with cal-.45 pistols took off with some P200,000 after robbing a rural bank in a southern town in Cebu province Wednesday afternoon. Sun-Star Cebu (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Thursday that the robbers declared a holdup in the Rural Bank of Bacong in Pakigne village in Miglanilla town in Cebu. It said the robbers did not hurt the seven people inside the bank, including manager Romeo Bernil and company guard Jefferson Alivio, Bernil’s six-year-old son and two air-conditioning technicians. But the robbers ordered all of them to get inside the vault before fleeing with the loot. One of the robbers was described as about 5’5" tall, chubby, with fair complexion, blond hair, a red T-shirt and a scarf tied around his head. The other robber was described as about 5’7" tall, brown-skinned and of medium build. He wore a cap. It was the first bank robbery under the jurisdiction of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CCPO) this year and the first ever to occur in Minglanilla. Cebu police director Sr. Supt. Carmelo Valmoria led members of the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Branch (PIIB) and the Minglanilla Police Station in responding to the alarm. Initial investigation showed Alivio, who was in civilian clothes, also did not carry his firearm. The shotgun issued to him was reportedly placed on the sofa. Valmoria said that before the robbers pulled off the heist, a man arrived at the bank and asked about its policy on depositing cash. After that, the man, who turned out to be the first robber, went out. Ten minutes later, or around 1 p.m., the man came back on a motorcycle. This time, he had a companion. He again entered the bank and the guard did not frisk him. As the man approached the manager’s table, his companion barged inside. The two announced the holdup and pointed a gun at Bernil. One of the robbers checked the vault for cash but found it empty. The robbers found the money on the cashier’s table. The heist was over in less than five minutes. Valmoria said it took the victims some time to call the police for assistance because they waited for the robbers to leave the bank before they got out of the vault. On the other hand, the robbers cut the telephone wires from the receivers, forcing one of the employees to call the police from a nearby children’s clinic. Also, Valmoria said the robbers’ failure to cover their faces suggests they were not from Minglanilla. He said they did not find any indication of an inside job, at least for now. Valmoria suggested to the bank management to implement security measures such as installing security cameras and an alarm system and hiring two security guards. He also reiterated his appeal to the banks to upgrade security measures. - GMANews.TV