Gaisano mall tightens security

SECURITY personnel of the Gaisano Fiesta Mall will be sanctioned and re-trained to better detect thieves inside the premises, the mall’s security chief said yesterday.

Gesim Nazario, security chief of the Gaisano Grand Group of Companies, admitted that they cannot detect the robbery suspect who managed to pilfer several outlets and stay hidden inside the mall for sometime now.

“We’ll check the ceiling for more holes and secure it,” Nazario said.

He said his personnel could hardly detect the perpetrator because he can blend in with the customers.

SPO1 Mikie Espina of the Talisay City police said they identified the suspect as a certain Roland or Orland, a resident of Mansueto Village in barangay Bulacao, Talisay City.

He said the suspect dubbed as “Spider-Man” for hiding at the mall’s ceiling, is still in Talisay City.

Nazario said they suspect that the perpetrator even attended Mass following the robbery of seven outlets in the mall.

Nazario said they don’t lack for personnel to secure the mall and added that they were caught by surprise when they learned of the opening at the mall’s ceiling.

“We are waiting for the outlets to file a case against the perpetrator. They said they will be filing, but until now, we didn’t receive any complaints,” Nazario said.

About eight outlets listed their inventories to the management.

Some of them lost cellphones, while most of them were divested of cash that amounted to more than P10,000.

Despite this, Nazario said the customers are still safe.

“When it comes to security of the customers, they have nothing to be worried about,” Nazario said.

Nazario said they are unfamiliar with the mall’s ceiling design and the suspect may have escaped by entering an opening in the air-conditioning room that led to the mall rooftop.

Nazario said the suspect was seen picking up carton bags by closed circuit security cameras.

Police recovered a makeshift bed, blanket, canned goods, cellphones and USB cords at an opening through the ceiling.

Nazario said the suspect cannot be spotted leaving the mall because the items he stole don’t have bar codes that could be detected by their security system. With Correspondent Gabriel C. Bonjoc