Women cops lauded for fast response

Two policewomen take cover as they look for robbers who targeted a jewelry store at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City on Sunday night. AFP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—They certainly did the fairer sex proud and on Women’s Month at that.

Ranking police and government officials on Monday lauded the four rookie policewomen who shot it out with robbers who targeted a jewelry shop at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) on Sunday night.

“Definitely, these women will be given awards and commendations for their bravery in chasing off the robbers,” Southern Police District (SPD) director, Chief Supt. Jose Erwin Villacorte, told the Inquirer.

Villacorte praised the four members of the Regional Public Safety Battalion of the National Capital Regional Police Office for their quick response to the call of duty.

The four who were assigned to the Police Assistance Desk at the mall had just taken a break to have dinner when the robbery took place shortly after 7 p.m.

“They heard gunshots and screams of people so they rushed to where it was coming from,” Villacorte said.

One of the suspected robbers, Brian Bansawan, is behind bars after his arrest by the Pasay police. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Two of the four policemen were identified as Police Officers 1 Juliet Macabadbad and Delia Langpawen.

It was Macabadbad who shot one of the robbers whom she spotted as he was fleeing from the scene, carrying a gun.

The suspect, however, managed to blend into the crowd and escape.

A few hours later, the police found a bloodstained shirt with apparent bullet holes, leading investigators to believe that Macabadbad had hit the robber.

Members of the Special Weapons and Tactics team of the Pasay City police were able to corner a suspect identified as Brian Bansawan, 26, near a Japanese restaurant. He yieldded a .45-cal. caliber pistol used in the robbery.

In a statement, Pasay Mayor Antonino Calixto commended the police units that responded to the robbery.

“The fast response of the Police Assistance Desk assigned to SM MOA thwarted the plans of the robbers while the arrival of the police officers from the Pasay Police Community Precinct and SWAT team led to the arrest of the suspect,” he added.

Calixto said the police units involved in the operation would be recognized during the flag-raising ceremony on April 7 at the Pasay City hall.

At least 10 robbers wielding guns and pipe wrenches made their way through tight security measures at the SM MOA at 7 p.m. on Sunday, creating chaos and panic among shoppers.

As people scrambled toward exits, others hid in stores which closed down immediately after gunshots were fired. An employee of an ice cream booth was wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Villacorte said that based on the footage taken by the mall’s security cameras, at least two of the robbers armed with guns were able to get past a security check at the mall entrance.

“Based on the CCTV, there were 10 people involved. Some stood guard carrying pistols, others were scooping out jewelry from the glass cabinet,” he added.

The robbers targeted F & C Jewelry Store, the same chain that figured in two similar heists at SM North in December and SM Megamall in January 2013.