It’s not every day that everyday men and women show such guts.
Robbery suspects ended up behind bars after being thwarted by their intended targets in separate incidents in Malabon and Quezon City.
In a third case, a member of the Philippine Navy chanced upon a jeepney robbery in Pasay City and apprehended the driver on suspicion that he was in cahoots with two other men who had robbed a passenger.
In Malabon, two sisters on a passenger bus plying MacArthur Highway in Barangay Potrero got off and chased Jerry Gatil, 39, after they saw him flee with the P1,500 he had just stolen from one of them Tuesday afternoon.
They cornered the alleged pickpocket and sought the help of a security guard posted at a nearby bank to prevent Gatil from escaping until the police arrived.
Police said siblings Donata and Hermocilla Cafino were standing in the aisle of a Valenzuela City-bound bus around 5:30 p.m. when Donata saw Gatil steal the cash from a pocket of Hermocilla’s pants. As the man hurriedly got off the bus with the money, Donata convinced her sister to follow and confront him.
Recovered from Gatil were a fan knife and the stolen money, which the sisters said was intended for a cousin’s medication, said PO3 Rommel Habig of the Malabon police. The suspect remained in detention Wednesday.
In Quezon City, robbers who held up a taxi driver in the wee hours of Wednesday realized too late that they were on a one-way ride to jail. Before they knew it, the driver had brought them straight to a police station in Novaliches that was along the route.
The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said Wilson Ching was driving along Quirino Highway around 2:45 a.m. when four men got into his cab at the corner of Marcusin Street, Barangay Gulod.
One of the suspects pointed a gun at Ching, another ordered him to bring them to Novaliches Proper, while a third took his earnings worth P1,500.
But as the taxi approached the QCPD-Novaliches station also along Quirino Highway, the driver managed to make a quick turn and bring the car into the driveway. He then jumped off and ran to the station for help, said station commander Supt. Norberto Babagay.
The four robbers also scampered out of the taxi but two of them were caught by the police. Arrested were Reymar Angac, 25, of West Fairview; and Rudolf Manalo, 29, of Barangay Sta. Lucia also in Novaliches.
In a statement Wednesday, QCPD director Chief Supt. Richard Albano praised the responding policemen and cited the “bravery of the taxi driver.”
Navy man in pursuit
In Pasay, Navy petty officer Gualberto Ped was on a motorbike on Libertad Street corner FB Harrison when he saw a woman “kicked out” of a moving passenger jeepney around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Ped then approached and told the driver Josel Habaan to pull over, but Habaan didn’t stop. When he encountered heavy traffic, the driver—and two male passengers—then hurriedly got off. Ped gave chase, cornering Habaan near Buendia.
When Habaan was turned over to the police, they learned that the woman earlier thrown off the jeepney had been robbed by the two male passengers, who were first seated in the front next to Habaan before crossing over to the passengers’ side to announce the holdup.
The victim, Janel Panganiban, a 22-year-old teacher, lost P30,000 in cash and valuables to the knife-wielding robbers who were able to escape, said P02 Catalino Gazmin. With a report from Noli Ermitanio