MANILA, Philippines—Armed men led by one pretending to be looking for work robbed a recruitment firm of P1.3 million in payroll money early Friday morning in Quezon City, police said.
The Job On Link firm at the Uni Building on Edsa corner Arayat Street in Cubao had just opened for the day when they were attacked by four men, including one who posed as a job applicant.
Police Officer 3 Roland Belgica of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit said the robbery happened at around 6:30 a.m.
The only employees at the time were accounting officer Anave Arcala and liaison officer Romualdo Villagonzalo, who both lived in the company’s staff house on Boston Street in Cubao.
Arcala said the robbers were able to take her black shoulder bag containing P1.3 million in cash, wrapped in plastic, that was the firm’s payroll money.
The robbers also took her personal cash amounting to P3,000, her cellular phone, a company laptop, digital camera, bank passbooks and checks.
Police learned that the other employees were expected to arrive at around 7 a.m.
Arcala and Villagonzalo told investigators they were often the first to arrive at the office as they held the keys to the establishment.
Arcala said it was not unusual for job applicants would arrive early so that when one man turned up early, he was simply told to sit down on a couch.
Arcala had entered the accounting department when two more men entered, one wielding a knife, and followed her inside.
Villagonzalo, who was outside the department, recalled one of the men carrying a gun and pushing him against a table, while a masked man stood guard at the front door with a rifle.
Belgica said the robbers apparently knew that the recruitment firm had withdrawn money for the payroll, Friday being payday.
Arcala told police that she gave the bag to the man who followed her inside the accounting department but managed to take out a bundle of P500,000 that the man did not see and quickly covered it with a black jacket.
The robbery was completed in just 10 minutes, with the robbers cutting telephone and Internet cables before leaving.
Villagonzalo shouted for help through an open window, which was heard by concerned citizens who called for police assistance.