Stringent security sought amid robberies

By FELIPE CELINO ROXAS City — Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs) and the village police will be mobilized to secure the city, as residents and local officials were alarmed over the series of robbery incidents here. Mayor Angel Alan Celino recently called for an emergency meeting with the City Peace and Order Council to discuss the spate of robberies in the metro. A total of 17 robbery incidents occurred in the city since the start of the year, police records showed. Aside from mobilizing the BPATs, authorities agreed during the meeting to strictly implement the city’s curfew ordinance, which disallows minors from staying outside their homes from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Police suspect that minors were among the culprits in some robbery incidents here. The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) will accommodate and debrief minors who may be apprehended, according to the CSWDO head, Cynthia Besana. Celino assured that the city government is fully supporting the police’s campaign against robbery and other crimes here. Several establishments and individuals have fallen victims to robbers in this city. In Brgy. Cogon, Armando and Delia Baquilar lost P1.3 million worth of assorted jewelry late Wednesday night last week. In the morning of that day, robbers ransacked the Rudy’s Barber Shop and Salon owned by Rhoderick Felipe on Arnaldo Boulevard and carted away some P7,000 cash. On the same day, Hercor College student Ryan Bolinas of Panitan town complained to the city police that his piggy bank and jewelry worth P18,000, placed inside his bag left in his rented apartment on Alvarez Subdivision, Brgy. 10, were stolen. Two government agencies based here — the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) — also lost millions worth of cash and several items to robbers. The PCA on the third floor of the Capiz Government and Business Center lost P36,627.84 worth of cash and seed nuts, while the DTI on McKinley Street lost some P20,000. Two drugstores here have also been robbed — the Mercury Drug on corner Arnaldo Boulevard-Burgos Street and the Super-K Drugstore on Roxas Avenue. Verma Tropa, an Aklanon teacher and delegate to the Western Visayas Regional Athletics Association (WVRAA) Meet here, lost on Tuesday several valuables, too. Among the items taken from her were her mobile phone; her wallet containing P3,000 cash, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ID, Metrobank MasterCard, Land Bank ATM card, Voter’s ID and Government Service Insurance System e-card; and other important documents. At about the same time, PO1 Jefferson Deguia from Iloilo lost his wallet containing P1,600 cash; TIN and PhilHealth cards; PRC claim slip; and other important documents. His wallet was placed in the compartment of his motorcycle, which was parked outside the Villareal Stadium. Other recent robbery victims included Arnel Van Aleligay, an employee of the Capiz State University and a member of WVRAA’s Committee on Operations, who lost his weather rescue flashlight worth P1,500 and other important documents; and Roberto Amane Sr., 71, who lost his jacket, notebook and records of his herbal products. The suspects in these incidents remained unidentified.