Construction firm loses payroll money to motorcycle-riding robbers

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Waterfront police are now looking for the motorcycle tandem who allegedly robbed the payroll money of a construction firm amounting to P106, 000 late afternoon on Saturday, August 17.

Police Major Jomar Pomarejos, chief of the Waterfront Police Station, that they do not discount the possibility of an inside job in the robbery of the payroll money of Landtraders World Properties Corporation that holds office at the J Kyle Building located along General Maxilom Extension, Corner J. De Veyra Avenue in Cebu City.

This was already the second payroll money robbery reported in Cebu City in less than a week.

A police corporal who went on absence without leave (AWOL) last year was killed on Tuesday, August 13, after he allegedly robbed  a security guard who was transporting P500, 000 worth of payroll money for employees of their security agency.

Read More: AWOL cop who tried to rob a blue guard killed in Tisa shooting

But this time, police are yet to identify the two men who were responsible for the Saturday afternoon robbery.

Pomarejos said that they are already pursuing leads in the robbery incident but refused to give further details on their ongoing investigation.

Based on their initial investigation, Pomarejos said that a motorcycle rider poked his .45 caliber gun at the passengers of a privately owned vehicle while near the traffic light located near Park and Go Bakery along Bonifacio Street in Barangay Tinago, Cebu City.

He said that the black Honda XRM motorcycle stopped beside the driver’s side of the Toyota Innova. The backrider disembarked, opened the door of the vehicle driver and announced the holdup.

Inside the car were driver Jonas Yusores, company cash custodian Pio Cabahug, human resource officers Junny Caramba and Romel Condes, security guard Reymond John Sanico, and admin officer Dino Flores.

Pamorejos said that the group came from the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City and was traversing M. J. Cuenco Avenue before they made a right turn to A. Bonifacio Street. They were headed for their construction site in Barangay Guadalupe to pay the salaries of their employees there.

The motorcycle backrider, Pomarejos said, grabbed the plastic container that contained the cash from the possession of Cabahug who was seated at the back of the company driver.

Pomarejos said that the suspect immediate returned to the waiting motorcycle and fled.

He said that the robbery happened so fast that the vehicle driver and his five passengers were unable to move. But they managed to get the plate number of the get away motorcycle.

Pomarejos said that they are now coordinating with the Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) to identify the motrocycle’s registered owner. /dcb