‘Close your eyes, This is a hold-up’

MANILA, Philippines—Six men, including the driver of a public utility jeepney, who apparently forgot to bring masks to hide their identities ordered passengers to shut their eyes before robbing them of close to P40,000 in cash and valuables Thursday morning in Pasay City, police said.

The robbers  dumped their victims on Roxas Boulevard as they fled in the jeepney, bearing plates TXT-206 and  plying the Divisoria to Pasay Rotunda route, with their loot.

Chief Inspector Joey Goforth, head of the Pasay City police’s investigation and detective management section,   said that the incident happened  between 5 and 6 a.m. Thursday on Park Avenue, Barangay 13 Zone 4.

Goforth said that before the robbery, passengers Emma Belen, 26; Marvic Dela Torre, 22; and Mariane Dometita, 21, flagged down the Pasay Rotunda-bound jeepney in different places along the route, observing that the vehicle already had 10 other persons aboard, counting the driver.

However, instead of driving straight through Taft Avenue, the driver turned right to Libertad Street then drove through Park Avenue.  It was at that point that the six men, including the driver and an armed companion, announced the heist and ordered all the passengers to close their eyes while instructing them to fork over their valuables.

Belen lost P4,000 cash, a digital camera worth P7,000, a P3,000 wristwatch, and two mobile phones worth P5,000.  Dela Torre’s P5,000 cash, P1,500 cellular phone, silver necklace worth P4,500, and a P1,200 wristwatch, as  well as his fast-food restaurant crew uniform were taken.  Dometita lost a mobile phone worth P4,900.

Goforth pointed out that after the robbers took the victims’ belongings, the passengers were ordered to get off on the northbound lane of Roxas Boulevard near the Department of Foreign Affairs, while the suspects drove off towards the Buendia flyover bound for Manila.

Barangay officials found the distraught passengers and accompanied them to the Pasay City police to lodge a complaint.  Only three of the seven passengers formally filed robbery complaints.

Goforth said follow-up operations were under way to identify the robbers and recover their loot.