3 Pasay policemen in P1-M robbery

MANILA, Philippines—Three policemen from Pasay City were tagged as suspects in a P1-million robbery in the afternoon of Nov. 6 on Macapagal Avenue corner Buendia Extension.

The Pasay police arrested PO1 Ronald Villanueva and PO1 Alas Noli Tiu Soliman in simultaneous operations hours after the robbery, but PO2 Mark Manguera remains at large.

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

All three policemen were assigned to Police Community Precinct 5.

According to Chief Insp. Joey Goforth, Villanueva was arrested in his former house in General Trias, Cavite, at 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 7 after it was found that the gun recovered from one of the two men who held up Jeffrey Rabe, a messenger, at gunpoint was registered to him (Villanueva).

Alexander Pantoja, from whom Villanueva’s gun was recovered, and his cohort Limuel Camposagrado were arrested by policemen responding to the robbery. A bag containing P1,002,931 representing the “daily sales” of Senubi Travel and Tour Co. which Rabe was supposed to deposit was snatched from him at gunpoint.

Goforth said Rabe positively identified Camposagrado and Pantoja as the ones who robbed him.

Policemen recovered P49,000 “in Villanueva’s possession,” while P300,000 was “surrendered” by his wife to the police.

Goforth added the police received information Villanueva had tried to report his issued firearm missing to the General Trias police on Nov. 6.

Soliman and Manguera were implicated in the robbery after they were seen on a footage from a closed-circuit television camera “scrambling away” together with Villanueva, Camposagrado, Pantoja and another who was later identified as alias Arnel, as policemen responded to the robbery.

All six face charges for robbery in band.