Robbers in PNP athletic uniform hit QC eatery

Two men in Philippine National Police athletic uniforms turned out to be armed robbers and victimized the customers of an eatery in Quezon City in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The men, who wore shirts and short pants similar to those issued to PNP personnel for field exercises and training, pretended to be diners when they arrived around 2:30 a.m. at the Pares restaurant at the corner of 11th Jamboree and Scout Limbaga streets in Barangay Sacred Heart.

They then declared a holdup and took gadgets and cash from four customers held at gunpoint, before fleeing in a dark Nissan Sentra (PKO 601), according to Supt. Limuel Obon, commander of the Quezon City Police District’s Kamuning station.

Investigators suspect that the car’s plate number was stolen since a check later showed that it was registered to a Mitsubishi Montero on Jan. 27. “We’re checking with the Highway Patrol Group if it’s a hot car,” Obon said.

The restaurant’s security camera was able to record the crime and may help the police in identifying the two robbers, he noted.

“I’m asking the public to be more wary. Just because someone is in a PNP shirt, it doesn’t always mean he’s actually a policeman,” said Obon, who conceded that the PNP athletic uniform is quite easy to copy. Jaymee T. Gamil