CCPO exec: Robber, who broke into dad’s house, is likely a Guadalupe resident

Screenshots of the CCTV footage showing an armed robber entering the house of Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City policemen believe that the armed robber, who broke into Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco’s house, lives in Barangay Guadalupe or near Cuenco’s house.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said this was because the robber was familiar with the entrances and rooms of the house.

“Mao na ang usa sa atoang theory. Nakahibaw gyud sya og asa muagi ug asa ang kwarta. Wala man sad sya musaka sa second floor which is naa ang ginikanan. Pagkahuman, nakita nya tong pitaka, nigawas dretsu. Possible nga naa ra nas area so dako kay ta og chance nga ato ning masulbad,” Parilla said.

(That is one of our theories. He knows where to go and where the money was placed. He did not go upstairs, on the second floor, where Cuenco’s parents were. He saw that wallet, got it, then went outside. So, there is a possibility that the suspect is from around the area, and we have a higher chance of solving this.)

He said that the policemen from the Guadalupe Police Station had put the robber, who was caught on the security camera, under profiling where investigators would compare descriptions of the robber from previously arrested individuals, who were involved in previous robberies in the city.

However,  Police Major Jonathan Dela Cerna, chief of the Guadalupe Police Station, admitted that they still did not any suspects for now because the robber was wearing a mask when he entered Cuenco’s house.

Dela Cerna also said that they were looking at footage of security cameras in nearby houses hoping that one security camera could have caught the robber without the mask or would give them a lead on the robber.

Parilla, for his part, also said that it was fortunate that Councilor Cuenco was asleep and did not wake up when the robber entered his room, considering that the robber was armed with a “sumpak” or an improvised firearm.

“Naghigda sya. Naa sya sa sud. Swerte lang gyud nga wala sya nakamata kay og nakamata basin dunay laing mahitabo kay armado baya to (suspect),” he added.

(He was lying on his bed asleep. He was inside his room. It was just fortunate that he did not awaken [when the robber was inside his room] because if he had awakened then an unfortunate incident could have happened since the robber was armed.)

Parilla was referring to the robbery incident in Cuenco’s house last Wednesday evening, July 21, where an unidentified armed robber stole the councilor’s cash inside his wallet amounting to P25,000 and the councilor’s pair of pants.

Cuenco learned of the robbery early Thursday morning after he noticed that his pair of pants and wallet were missing, prompting him to check his security camera.

With the robbery, Cuenco appealed to Cebu City policemen to strictly an properly implement the curfew to avoid incidents like this from happening.

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