POLICE arrested six laborers for allegedly stealing 14 sacks of rice which they were about to deliver to a warehouse in barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
Qualified theft charges will be filed against Roger Mardiquio, 42; stay-in driver of Oriente Trucking, fillers and laborers Jason Rosal, 31; Bertsagani Gomez, 38; Gaspar Bataycan, 41; Albino Macapaz, 25; and Jonifer Osabel, 29.
Fourteen sacks of rice were recovered during the arrest.
The six suspects were about to sell the rice for P1,000 each when they were apprehended, said Insp. Ramil Morpos, chief of the Subangdaku police.
Morpos said police have been watching the laborers due to reports that the workers were seen unloading sacks of rice in M. Logarta Street on their way to the warehouse.
Last Wednesday night, the workers hauled 500 sacks of rice at Pier 6 and were supposed to deliver the cargo to a warehouse at the Mandaue Reclamation Area owned by Kim Lim.
Police caught the workers unloading 14 sacks of rice when they were arrested.
Gomez said it was Mardiquio who instructed them to load 512 sacks of rice into the truck instead of just 500.
Mardiquio denied instructing the workers.
The six workers, however, admitted that they planned to sell the 14 unloaded sacks of rice at P1,000 each./CORRESPONDENT FE MARIE D. DUMABOC