2 men rob bakery, thinking it has P2M cash

ILOILO CITY — Two men staged an early morning heist at a bread store in the City Proper district in Iloilo City, thinking it was keeping millions of cash in its vault.

But Edmund Mendoza, 27, of Barangay Baldoza in La Paz district, and Herbert Soqueña, 31, of Barangay San Isidro in Jaro district, both in Iloilo City, were in for a big disappointment.

There was no P2 million kept at the vault of Merczi Pasalubong Center located at Iznart and Delgado Streets at Barangay Ed Ganzon in the City Proper.

Senior Inspector Jose Val Ladublan, chief of the Iloilo City Police Office Station 1, said the vault contained at least P13,000 only. Worse, they did not only fled without the cash, but one of them was arrested shortly after during a hot pursuit operation.

Ladublan said they are still verifying the circumstances on how the two were made to believe that a big amount of money was kept inside the store.

The incident was known after Venigno Cialbo, the on-duty security guard of the building where Merczi is an occupant, discovered that the two suspects were forcibly opening the roll-up door of the bread store.

Ladublan said the suspects cut the two padlocks using a bolt cutter. They took the portable vault placed below the cashier's counter. But when they placed the vault on top of a table, Cialbo saw them, prompting the two fled in haste but left behind the money.

Cialbo immediately asked for assistance from Police Officers 1 Ven Anvie Mendez and Kim Ryan Magcuyao who were assigned near the area doing foot patrol.

Soqueña meanwhile sped off with his motorcycle leaving behind Mendoza who fled on foot.

Mendoza was later collared while hiding behind a PLDT box along Muelle Loney Street at the City Proper while Soquena remains at large, as of this writing.

Recovered from the crime scene were two broken Yale padlocks and a vault containing the cash.

Mendoza is a security guard assigned at a nearby bank, while Soqueña is a guard detailed at a taxi company. Both are members of the Sniper Security Agency.

Mendoza told investigators he and his cohort have been monitoring the bakeshop before they tried to rob it. Ladublan said it was not yet determined who tipped the two suspects into believing the store was keeping P2 million cash in its portable vault. — Jennifer

P. Rendon