2 guards face raps for theft of Church donations

DUMAGUETE CITY—Two security guards face charges for allegedly stealing the cash collections of St. Catherine de Alexandria Parish Cathedral in this city.

Billy Joe Dayuday and Sulpicio Ocares, night- shift security guards assigned to the cathedral, were seen in closed circuit television ( CCTV) camera footage getting donations at the left side of the main entrance on Sept. 19 and 20.

The footage was taken to the police station by Msgr. Julius Heruela, the rector of the Diocese of Dumaguete.

The Sept. 19 footage showed a man in a white shirt going to one of the religious images at the left side of the cathedral’s main entrance.

The man then inspected the large cabinet located under the statue where devotees put their donations and took something.

Second footage

In the Sept. 20 footage, a man wearing a hood went to the same cabinet and used a stick to get money.

After a few minutes, he was seen inserting something into his jacket. He then removed his hood as he left the area.

Heruela identified the two men as Dayuday and Ocares.

The monsignor said they installed the CCTV cameras five months ago due to a series of thefts inside the church. At least P500,000 in donations had been lost to thieves this year.