Suspects just blended in; customers cried during robbery

FOR close to five minutes, employees of a pawnshop in J Centre Mall in Mandaue City shook and could only look down as five men robbed their store, uncertain how the robbery would end.

It was a busy day at the shop since a subasta sale was ongoing, which meant they had more jewelry on display than usual.

There were also more customers than usual since the jewelry was sold at bargain prices.

Christinine Bontuyan, manager of the M. Lhuillier Jeweller branch in the mall, said it took the robbers some five minutes to pull off the heist. At first, she thought somebody was pulling a prank when the man declared a robbery, but when she saw the firearms and they were ordered to look down, she and her staff heeded the robbers.

“We were entertaining customers. I thought it was a joke until I saw the gun. First, three men came in. Then two followed,” she said in Cebuano. “There was a commotion outside. It seemed like someone shouted. A little later, we heard shots. Then they came in. ‘Way mulihok kay tulis ni! (Nobody move! This is a robbery!)’ We could not do anything because they were already taking the jewelry.”

She said she was standing near the shop’s door, near its customers’ area, when the incident happened. “I didn’t know what to do. So I just looked at them. And when they came near me, I looked down,” she said.

Five shops in J Center Mall were robbed by 15 armed men Saturday night, Oct. 19, 2019.

According to Bontuyan, the robbers just blended with the customers. “They just looked like customers. No masks. They were wearing just caps. They were dressed nicely.”

There were around 32 staff on duty when the incident happened.

She said it was a good thing their customers were also alert during the incident.

“It’s a good thing our customers thought of just lying face-down. Nobody reacted or started shouting. All I heard was just crying from the customers and some of our staff because some of them were stepped upon,” said Bontuyan.

Irish Gela Buglosa, area manager of the pawnshop, said they don’t know when their branch could resume operations.

“But we assured those transacting with us that this will be settled,” she said in Cebuano.

Meanwhile, Police Captain Marvin Fegarido, Mandaue Police Station 2 chief, called on the public, especially pawnshop operators, to alert the police of any suspicious pawning of jewelry and/or gadgets.

“We lack personnel for that. So we need the public’s help to report any suspicious pawning of items, especially in bulk. You can call the nearest police station to have this verified,” he said. /