School bandits fall in Mindoro
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2019 08:40:14 +0000
Two of three men tagged in a series of robberies against public schools in Oriental Mindoro have been arrested.
Brig. Gen. Tomas Apolinario, director of the MIMAROPA (Mindoro Oriental and Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), identified the group leader as Christopher Saurin who was nabbed on July 7 at the Tropical Lodge in Barangay Dangay in Roxas. Recovered in his possession were seven television sets and three printers.
In a follow-up operation, police arrested Saurin’s cohort, Larry dela Vega, in Barangay Poblacion in Kalibo, Aklan.
Tropical Lodge where Saurin stayed was near the port in Roxas, according to Lt. Col. Jaycees Tolentino, deputy provincial director for administration of the Oriental Mindoro provincial police.
“The hotel was near the port in Roxas so we believe that it is part of his escape route,” Tolentino said.
The third suspect, Joemer dela Rama, remains at large and is subject of a police manhunt.
For eight straight days from June 29 to July 6, the three-man group, which police tagged as school bandits, ransacked nine schools in the towns of Pola, Bansud, Gloria, and Roxas of Oriental Mindoro.
Apolinario said the group of Saurin was able to cart away P270,000 worth of school items and cash.
The schools ransacked were Panikihan Elementary School, Pola Central School, and Maluanluan Elementary School in the town of Pola; Francisco M. Morales Elementary School and Policarpio Hernandez Memorial Elementary School in the municipality of Bansud; Banus Elementary School, Bulbugan Elementary School, and Tinalunan Elementary School in the municipality of Gloria; and San Mariano Elementary School in the municipality of Roxas.
Apolinario said that the modus was the same: The suspects would rob the schools by forcibly destroying padlocks and doorknobs using crowbars or destroying window jalousies to gain entry during nighttime.
Based on the inventory, among those carted away were television sets being used by the students; and laptops and projectors being used in class presentation and other activities.
During interrogation, the two suspect admitted that the stolen items were transported to Iloilo where they sold them online, according to Tolentino.
Tolentino said they are checking if Saurin is the same Christopher Saurin responsible for a series of robberies in 22 public schools in Antique, Aklan and Iloilo in November of 2014.
“We are now coordinating with our counterparts in Western Visayas if the Christopher Saurin we arrested for robbing nine schools here in Oriental Mindoro is the same Christopher Saurin you are referring to,” Tolentino said.
“But so far, we have already confirmed that he has an existing arrest warrant in Antique for the same case, robbing a school,” Tolentino added.n (Aaron Recuenco)