- Baste theorized pawnshop robbery meant to smear city’s reputation
MAYOR Sebastian Duterte believed that the pawnshop robbery on Feb. 26 was more than a simple heist.
Speaking during the “Basta Dabawenyo” program on Sunday evening, Mar. 2, Duterte said the robbery might have been orchestrated by individuals from outside the city, specifically mentioning the arrested suspect coming from Leyte.
“I’d like to sound unbiased when giving this kind of analysis of the incident,” Duterte stated. “My view is that the individual from Leyte was asked to do a job here in Davao. Whether he knew it was illegal or not, he was brought here and that’s what they did.”
Duterte noted inconsistencies in the perpetrators’ actions, raising the possibility of external manipulation or political motivations.
“In my experience as mayor of Davao, we have similar incidents and hold-ups, but mostly, when we catch them or if we solve the case, it’s usually an inside job. So, they know what to do. This one, it’s like they don’t know what to do. Their motorcycle is broken, they’re wearing slippers, and their underwear is showing, right? That’s what I see that makes me skeptical. Because crimes really have to be well-planned. Usually, from what we’ve seen here in Davao, they know what to do. This one, it’s like they just went there, made a scene, and ‘we’ll take care of it in exchange,'” Duterte said.
Duterte raised the possibility that the perpetrators were convinced to take on the job because of poverty. “It’s easy to pay someone to do something, with a promise of reward. Especially with the hunger of Filipinos right now, with the extreme hardship,” he said.
However, the mayor also attributed the rise in criminal activity to what he perceives as a lenient approach to crime at the national level. He expressed strong criticism of the current Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership.
“But on the other hand, there is a big possibility because our PNP chief is incompetent, and the administration is very lenient on criminals right now, so it encourages criminals to these kinds of activities,” Duterte said.
He further elaborated, “Expect that a lot of people are very displeased with the current peace and order situation in the entire country. So, even if we’re doing everything that we can to secure Davao City, if the PNP chief says drugs are for staying awake, what can you expect? How criminals behave right now is very encouraging for them, seeing that our President isn’t really strict when it comes to peace and order.”
Duterte pointed to social media posts of individuals using illegal drugs and subsequent violent crimes as evidence of a deteriorating situation. He expressed concern about statements made by the PNP chief regarding illegal drugs.
“So this is why we have this, it’s because the administration is truly lenient, You don’t hear the president threatening criminals, you cannot stop the people, because they are hungry, they are not educated, there are some that are trying to do things the right way, so you are treating or you are letting the people that are trying to behave, or fight fair, and it looks like you are protecting them,” He said
Recently, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) announced a bounty of P100,000 for each of the five remaining suspects.
DCPO acting director Col. Hansel Marantan said, “Well, to the perpetrators, you have a choice. Your choice is to surrender, but we will go after you.”
On Wednesday, at around 10 a.m., three armed men barged into Hannah’s Pawnshop and took an undetermined amount of jewelry and valuables. However, police managed to arrest one suspect, a native of Albuera town in Leyte, in a hot pursuit. Authorities also recovered from the suspect various firearms and the loot said to be worth at least P15,136,490.
The DPCO asked anyone to report to the nearest police station or contact the following hotlines: 0998-598-7054 / 0919-070-222 / 0998-598-7057 and for telephone number 082-227-5777 for any information on the robbers.
