Series of burglaries eye-opener in Cebu

THE TOLEDO City Hall building. Its treasury office, which is very near a police station, has been burglarized. The series of burglaries in treasury offices has raised concern over lax security in local government offices in the province of Cebu. ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL

CEBU—In a span of just two weeks, the treasury offices in four towns and one city in Cebu province were burglarized despite being near police stations.

At least P1.5 million in government funds was taken in Toledo City and in the towns of Compostela, Carmen, Sogod and Pinamungahan. The robbers took advantage of the holidays, weekends and lax security in the treasury offices.

Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, police provincial director, described as “alarming” the series of robberies in the five treasury offices. “It is a slap on the face of the police, considering that the crime scenes are near the police stations,” he said.

Inside job, fabricated accounts

Police investigators have yet to identify and arrest suspects in the break-ins, except in the case of Pinamungahan where a utility worker is now facing a criminal complaint.

They are looking into two angles—an “inside job” because the robbers knew exactly where the money was kept and fabricated accounts of those who reported the crime.

THE VAULT in the treasurer’s office of Toledo City with its metal door destroyed. RENE ALIMA/CEBU DAILY NEWS

On Aug. 25, National Heroes Day, P55,961 in municipal revenue was taken from the drawers of treasury clerks in Sogod, 61 kilometers north of Cebu City.

That same day, tax collector Lucilo Bontia reported to the police that P4,800 in personal funds was stolen from the treasurer’s office in Carmen, 41 km north of Cebu City. The perpetrators entered the office by destroying the padlock of a sliding window.

Taxes, other fees

On Aug. 26, in Compostela, 26 km north of Cebu City, an employee of the treasurer’s office discovered the loss of P75,000 in taxes and other fees. Police did not find any sign of forced entry but surmised that the robbers entered through the roof.

When questioned by the police, municipal revenue collector Arlene Rosal admitted she forgot to lock the vault.

On Aug. 31, robbers took P386,778 from the treasurer’s office in Pinamungahan, 64 km southwest of Cebu City.

A utility worker was charged after he was seen by a bus conductor at the back of the municipal hall around 2:30 a.m. that day. He could not explain why he had P8,550 in his pocket although he was earning only about P2,200 monthly.

P1M in salaries missing

On Sept. 7, a Sunday, close to P1 million meant for the salaries of teachers and contractual employees was reported missing from the treasurer’s office in Toledo, 50 km west of Cebu City. The door of the treasurer’s office was forcibly opened and the lock of the vault’s metal door was destroyed.

Mayor John Henry Osmeña urged the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas to step in and conduct an investigation. Three City Hall workers were invited for questioning but were later sent home after passing a lie detector test conducted by the NBI in Cebu City.

“It won’t stop us from investigating them. While waiting for the fingerprints taken from the vault by the crime scene investigators, we are still going to monitor them,” said Senior Supt. Ricky Delilis, Toledo police chief.

Gov. Hilario Davide III expressed dismay over the series of burglaries.

“It is a sad commentary when we talk about our peace and order situation. I don’t want to speculate. But I believe these have something to do with inside job. Who would know that money was kept in the treasurer’s office? It got to be an insider,” he said.

CCTV, police visibility

Again, he asked mayors to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and hire security guards. Earlier, the provincial board passed a resolution urging all local governments to install CCTV cameras to enhance security.

“I’d like the police to be present and visible near the municipal [and city] halls,” Davide said.

The governor said treasury offices should not keep large amounts of money on weekends. “These should have been deposited in the bank,” he said.