CEBU CITY, Philippines — Law enforcers in Cebu City have advised barangay officials to regularly conduct background checks on their employees.
This after a barangay tanod (village watchman) was arrested on Monday afternoon, December 14, for burglary.
Police Major Juanito Dindo Alaras, chief of Mambaling Police Station, confirmed to reporters that the suspect behind the burglary in the Treasurer’s Office of Barangay Basak San-Nicolas was identified as Franklin Gerat.
Gerat, a tanod in the same barangay, was arrested in Talisay City hours after the incident. He is currently detained at Mambaling Police Station.
Alaras said the police received the alarm at 6 a.m. on Monday from employees of the barangay hall. Over P2,500 worth of cash stashed in drawers was stolen.
Alaras also said workers reported that the steel cabinet containing the barangay’s vault was open but fortunately, the vault remained locked.
“No money was taken from the vault. Only those stashed in drawers belonging to the workers were stolen,” said Alaras in Cebuano.
When Gerat was arrested, police confiscated from him the money amounting to P2,500 believed to be those that were stolen from the treasurer’s office.
Based on initial investigations from the police, Gerat disconnected and turned off all closed circuit television (CCTV) in the barangay hall shortly before breaking in late Sunday evening, December 13.
However, the cameras were still able to record the surroundings before these were turned off, and one of them captured Gerat present within the barangay hall’s premises minutes before the incident reportedly happened.
“It was also the CCTV footage that helped our investigators identify the suspect. A few hours after, we received a tip from the community that he fled to Talisay City where we arrested him,” added Alaras.
The Mambaling Police Station chief, on the other hand, said they were still conducting further investigation to determine other possible motives that could help explain why Gerat made the decision to steal.
“We’re still gathering information to see if he did it alone or he was conspiring with other individuals,” said Alaras.
Police said they are collating other details about Gerat aside from the fact that the suspect has been working as a tanod for Barangay Basak San-Nicolas for around 10 years.
In the meantime, Alaras told barangay officials to regularly conduct background checks on their employees and beef-up security considering that the holiday season is here. /dbs