By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director, Police Colonel Henry Biñas, yesterday confirmed one of the suspects recently arrested following a mall heist in Mandaue City, Cebu admitted to being part of last August’s robbery at Bacolod City’s Gaisano City Mall in the city’s Barangay Singcang-Airport.
According to the law enforcement official, after receiving the news about the recent incident, he immediately contacted officials from the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) due to similarities between the two robberies. He later received a phone call from Mandaue City Police Office personnel, who informed him that one of the suspects claimed to have been involved in the Gaisano City Mall robbery, which was led by Ozamiz City crime group leader Marlon ‘Ailon’ Parojinog.
Biñas refused to name the suspect pending the filing of criminal cases but said he notified former BCPO deputy director, Police Lt. Colonel Leonardo Borromeo, as he was the one handling the case in Bacolod City.
The BCPO director, added following the admission, preparations for the filing of appropriate charges began as they will seek an arrest warrant in order for the suspect to be brought to Bacolod City to face trial.
Last August, Parojinog and seven other suspects entered Gaisano City Mall and purchased several hammers and hard objects. The group then targeted jewelry displays inside the mall by smashing them with the said hammers, while another suspect allegedly drew a firearm and fired several shots.
The suspects managed to cart away around P4.5 million worth of jewelry.
Meanwhile, 15 men simultaneously conducted a robbery at the J Centre Mall in Mandaue City, whose method was smashing glass displays and escaping by riding several vehicles. However, it remains unclear if Parojinog was also among the suspects in the recent robbery but CPPO speculate the suspects carted away more than P136 million in cash, jewelry, and mobile phones.
CPPO immediately ordered a “blocking force,” which resulted in the deaths of four suspects and the arrest of five others.
The suspects were identified as Roel Sumingit, Julivyn Quirante, Arnel Cimafranca, Kevin Andales and Wilfredo Enguito from Tangub City, Misamis Occidental; James Gomez from Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental; Jun Candelaria from Naga City, Bicol; Philip Faburada from Tondo, Manila; and Glen Tairos, the suspected leader of the group, from Talisay City, Cebu./DGB, WDJ