Authorities have recovered the car of an Army colonel that was stolen in front of his quarters at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, before dawn on Saturday.
The green Mazda Familia (UPJ 652) of Colonel Nelson Chedrome was found abandoned but intact at Barangay (village) Sta. Cruz in Angat, Bulacan province, at around 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday.
According to AFP spokesperson Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr., investigators were “pursuing leads” although he declined to give additional details.
“The AFP in coordination with the Philippine National Police is currently looking at several suspects. We cannot divulge the identities of the suspects as of this moment as this may affect the ongoing investigation,” he said.
“All angles are being looked into,” Burgos told reporters, adding that the vehicle might have been used as a getaway vehicle in the commission of a crime.
The Mazda Familia was taken by burglars who also broke into the quarters of Chedrome, the chief of the AFP Dental Service.
However, they took only the keys to the vehicle and two cell phones. Investigators later determined that the thieves also broke into two vehicles owned by the official although they did not take anything.
Saturday’s incident was the latest of 15 burglaries reported at the AFP headquarters since the start of the year.
Burgos said that the robbers’ targets were the quarters of both officers and enlisted personnel.
At the same time, he stressed that security within the camp has been enhanced, especially at night.
Aside from the setting up of nightly checkpoints, soldiers have been assigned to go on foot and bike patrol.
Burgos said the military police now require AFP personnel living in the camp to personally fetch their dependents at the gate should they arrive after midnight.
“However, we are advising our people that the security of their own homes is still an individual responsibility and must be considered at all times to prevent any untoward incidents,” Burgos said.—With Frances Mangosing, Inquirer.net