Thieves hit DFA coop office, Navy commissary
MANILA, Philippines—Burglars recently broke into two government buildings in Pasay City and Taguig City, taking cash from office safes and disabling a security camera to avoid detection.
Some P100,000 in cash went missing from the Department of Foreign Affairs Multipurpose Cooperative which holds office on the second floor of the DFA building in Pasay, according to a report prepared on Tuesday by Senior Supt. Melchor Reyes, the city’s police chief.
Investigators said a thief got into the office apparently through the ceiling, used tools to force open a safe containing the cash, and removed the digital recorder of a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) in that part of the building.
In his report to the police, the coop’s head cashier Arnold Tibe said he discovered the break-in when he was instructed by the general manager to get cash from the safe, which was kept inside the storage room, to pay for the airfare of some members.
A hammer and a screw driver apparently used to open the safe were found at crime scene.
The police tried to check if the burglar was captured on the CCTV but discovered that its digital recorder was also stolen.
Also on Tuesday, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang sought an explanation from the Philippine Navy for the Nov. 17 theft at its commissary in Taguig.
“I will ask the (Navy) Flag-Officer-in Command for his update because that is his area,” Catapang told reporters in Zamboanga City.
Lt. Cmdr. Marineth Domingo, chief of the Navy’s Public Affairs Office, said the branch manager of the AFP Commissary and Exchange Services located inside Bonifacio Naval Station discovered the theft around 7 a.m. on Monday.
“A huge amount of money” was taken from the safe kept inside the manager’s office, Domingo said, adding that the safe did not appear to have been forcibly opened.
“Verification was conducted right away and investigation is still ongoing,” Domingo said.
“The Philippine Navy is working closely with the authorities to facilitate the speedy disposition of the case. The Navy likewise maintains its responsibility in maintaining the safety and security of its transient units,” the official added.
