This is the watch that a 29-year-old man allegedly tried to steal from a mall at the South Road Properties (SRP) on Saturday, April 27. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A jobless man, who wanted money to provide for his family of four, found himself in deeper trouble after he was arrested for allegedly trying to shoplift or steal a watch worth nearly P3,000 in a mall in Cebu City.
The 29-year-old man, whom authorities identified as Ronnie Pantorilla of Barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City, remains detained at the Mambaling Police Station as theft charges are being readied against him.
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He was turned over to the police station on April 27 after he was allegedly caught trying to sneak out of the mall an Aldo watch.
Pantorilla, told CDN Digital during an interview on April 29 at the Mambaling Police Station detention cell, that he allegedly planned to sell the watch to have money to provide for his three children.
He said that he was a former passenger utility jeepney (PUJ) driver but he allegedly lost his license when he met an accident, and he was issued a TOP [temporary operator’s permit].
He failed to pay the fines to get his license back and so he lost the livelihood he had, and that was two years ago.
“Nagsalig lang ko sa igsuon sa akong papa,” he said.
(I depended on the brother of my father.)
He claimed that he was alone because he was an only son and his parents had already died.
He also said that he had a live-in partner and three children with her.
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When asked what he did to earn money in the last two years since he lost his job as a PUJ driver, he only said that he depended on his uncle.
Investigation showed that on April 27, Pantorillo went to a watch store inside a mall at the South Road Properties.
He allegedly got the box containing an Aldo watch worth P2995 and surreptitiously placed it inside an eco bag that he was carrying.
However, he was caught as he tried to leave the watch shop.
He was arrested by security personnel of the mall and turned over to the Mambaling Police Station with the stolen item.
He has been detained there since his arrest on April 27.