Owners of two convenience stores that were recently robbed admitted that they no longer trust the police.
“Nakuhaan gyod among pagsalig, abi namo og naay police magbantay 24 hours (We thought the police are around to guard us 24 hours),” said the one owner who refused to be named.
She said she is not satisfied with the efforts of the police because aside from her establishment, another robbery of a convenience store remain unsolved.
After the crime in her store, she is now more vigilant in accepting customers.
“Amo na gyod gi-adjust among CCTV cameras aron pagsiguro nga makita gyod ang mga nawng sa mosulod. Dili na namo pasudlon ang mga customer og mingaw-mingaw na, anha na lang namo agion sa bintana, (We adjusted our CCTV to capture the faces of all those who come in, and we no longer allow customers in during the wee hours, we serve them through the window),” she said.
Edna Marquez, 25, cashier of a convenience store, said their boss already warned them not to allow inside people wearing helmets or caps, as these should be removed first.
Another owner said she is discouraged with the series of robberies that happened.
“Dili na kaayo ko mosalig og ingon ana sa police pero salig gyod gihapon ko nila (I no longer trust them that much), ” she said.
Ever since she heard the news that a number of establishments were robbed, she advised her staff not to fight back and give everything the robber would want.
Their security guard had resigned after the robbery in their store.
Senior Inspector Allan Rosario, chief of the Guadalupe Police Station, said he understands the feeling of the owners but said they are doing their jobs.
“Hindi po natin sila masisisi pero ginagawa naman po natin ang lahat para ma- prevent na po iyong robbery, wala na nga tayong tulog 24/7,” said Rosario.
The Western Union Money Remittance outlet in barangay Guadalupe was robbed last Oct. 9 and a month after, a Route Stop convenience store was also robbed.
Fuente Police Station’s commander, Chief Inspector Wildemar Tiu, said he wouldn’t believe that the store owners no longer trust them.