The Cebu City government and a security agency yesterday offered cash assistance to the families of the two guards who died in a shoot-out following last Monday’s heist in Robinsons Place.
The Puritan Security Agency provided financial assistance of P10,000 each to the kin of Leofer Etac and Lito Odag.
“Before the burial of the two slain guards, we made sure that we have given the financial aid to the families,” said Insp. Rubispierre Garcia of Puritan, a security agency that provides services to several banks.
An additional “death mutual fund” of P75,000 will be given today to each family, he said.
“Lito Odag and Leofer Etac were among our well-trained and best escort guards,” Garcia said.
“But no matter how well trained they are, we cannot avoid bad elements especially if it’s a planned robbery.”
City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete and Phillip Zafra, chief of staff of Mayor Michael Rama, turned over P10,000 each to the Etac and Odag families yesterday afternoon.
“Mayor Rama gave instruction before he left for Xiamen for the city to extend assistance to the dead guards’ families,” Zafra said.
“He would have wanted the city to also take care of their hospital bills but we learned the it was already paid for by their security agency.”
Zafra said that before Rama left for Xiamen last Tuesday for an official visit, the mayor also gave an undetermined amount of personal cash to the families of the dead guards.
Zafra said the mayor instructed them to also look into the needs of PO1 Erlich Jourdin Catacutan and PO1 Roy Ceniza who were wounded during the shoot-out and confined in Chong Hua Hospital.
City Hall will pay for the hospital bills of the two policemen.
PRAYERS
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he is praying for the five persons who were killed in Monday’s P1.2-million armed robbery.
He advised people to avoid doing evil in their pursuit of living well.
“It was unfortunate that it has to happen that way,” said Palma referring to the shoot-out between law enforcers and robbers.
“Ideally, people should find honest work and means to have money we need for life. We could never justify robbery in the first place,” Palma told reporters after he officiated Mass at Sibonga town yesterday.
LIFE INSURANCE
Garcia said Puritan agency provides all mandatory benefits to their security guards.
This includes hazard pay to guards who are assigned in banks and armored cars.
He explained that P25 is deducted from the monthly salaries of the security guards for the death mutual fund.
“It is different from a life insurance benefit. Our security agency does not provide a life insurance benefit to our security guards because most of them complain if they have big salary deductions, he said.
He said that after the death of the two guards in Cebu City, they are recommending the provision of life insurance coverage for their security guards.
Garcia said he hopes this will be implemented after consultations with the agency’s main office in Manila.
NEUTRALIZED
Senior Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe told reporters that the robbery group behind Monday’s heist was “already neutralized.”
He said the gang was disabled after three members were killed by responding policemen.
Junjun Cabando, a fourth member, who escaped with a bullet wound in his buttocks was last seen leaving Compostela town with his girlfriend in a silver sedan, which picked him up from his residence.
Buenafe, chief of Cebu City Police Office, said three other suspects at large may re-group but that the police is ready to face them.
He said the robbers who went back to Mindanao Tuesday morning were the subject of a manhunt.
Buenafe said the aliases of those who fled were “Buljack” and “John Paul” from Cagayan de Oro City, and “Kambal Legaspi” from Ozamiz City./correspondents rhea ruth v. rosell and chito o. aragon, Reporter Ador Vincent S. Mayol and Chief of reporters Doris C. Bongcac