Armed PSG man in civilian clothes mugged by 6 robbers

MANILA, Philippines–A member of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) was mugged and robbed by six men after he stepped out of the PSG compound in Malacañang Palace to buy something to eat before dawn on Monday.

PO1 Claudio D. Tambalong, 36, who is assigned with the PSG’s Special Reaction Unit, reported the robbery himself, showing up at the Manila Police District’s Pandacan station shortly after the incident.

He suffered a minor head injury and a few scrapes. He also lost his service firearm, cell phone and P6,000 in cash, he told the police.

The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. on Monday near a car dealership shop on Guazon Street near Mendiola Extension in Pandacan, Manila, investigator SPO1 Abelardo Yumul of the Pandacan police station told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Tambalong, who was on duty at that time, said he had changed into civilian clothes to go out of the PSG compound to get something to eat.

As the victim was walking on the street, six men ganged up on him, one of them hitting him on the head with a heavy object, Yumul said.

The PSG man crawled under a parked truck to get away from his attackers who grabbed his belt bag which contained his service firearm—a 9-mm Glock 17 with serial number SAF 439—a wallet with P6,000 in cash and a cell phone, Yumul added.

The victim’s wallet was later recovered by barangay (village) officials although the P6,000 it contained was already missing.

There were witnesses to the robbery although none of them came to the victim’s aid, possibly out of fear for their own safety, Yumul said.

The information they provided, however, led to the identification of two of the robbers: Alex Maninang and Abet Ramirez, both residents of Barangay 832 in Paco, Manila. The police, however, have yet to arrest any of the six robbery suspects.