5 men, 2 minors in Caloocan robbery nabbed

MANILA, Philippines—Their tactic might have been slick but all seven suspected robbers, including two minors, were immediately caught by the police after they allegedly held up a jeepney driver and his passengers in Caloocan City early Friday.

Chief Inspector Rodrigo Soriano, chief of Caloocan police’s investigation unit, said the assailants, instead of just posing as passengers, pretended their tricycle had broken down on the road when they held up a passenger jeepney plying the Monumento-Paco.

“This is quite a new modus operandi. The robbers stopped the tricycle right in front of the jeepney, prompting the driver to alight from his vehicle to check on it,” Soriano said.

The robbers then took advantage of the situation and pointed a gun at the driver while their cohorts forcibly took the passengers’ valuables.

Soriano said the robbery, which occurred at around 12:30 a.m. along Nangka Road in Barangay 79 in Caloocan, was swift.

But the fleeing suspects apparently weren’t fast enough.

“Our men intercepted them in Barangay Bagong Barrio some minutes later,” Soriano said.

Five of the seven suspects–James Aquino, 28, Gilbert Sacil, 24; Rommel Presado, 20; Manuel Anzale, 19; and Jeff Kensley Corre, 18–were positively identified by the victims. Two other suspects, however, were considered minors.

Soriano said all of the victims’ belongings, including mobile phones and P3, 000 worth of cash, were recovered from the suspects.

The police were also able to retrieve documents that the robbers had discarded on a street in Barangay Potrero, Malabon, such as IDs, passport, and immigration documents of one of the jeepney passengers.