Cebu biz condemns pawnshop robbery

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) condemned yesterday the robbery of Oro Sugbu pawnshop and jewelry store along busy Colon Street in Cebu City.

CCCI President Charles Kenneth Co told DAILY TRIBUNE, "As a community, we condemn the blatant armed robbery which has no place in civil society."

"Business must remain vigilant and take extra precaution to protect their valuable assets such as employing security guards and CCTV," he stressed.

"These suspects must be brought to justice. We enjoined the public to report suspicious activity," Co added.

Four armed men who identified themselves as members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at past 9:00 a.m. on 25 November 2023 robbed Oro Sugbo pawnshop and jewelry store located in Colon Street, Barangay Kalubihan, Cebu City.

In video footage of Oro Sugbo's CCTV camera, the robbers wearing hats and face masks suddenly arrived and announced that they were to serve a warrant of arrest against the store's guard.

One of them sprang over the display cabinets and grabbed all the gold jewelry off the shelf, giving it to his companion who was carrying a sando bag, while the two others, armed with long guns, served as lookouts.

In less than two minutes, the heist was completed, and the suspects fled on two motorcycles with the backriders mounting their weapons in plain view of onlookers.

A shoe repairman nicknamed Jun said that as soon as the four suspects showed up, they pointed their weapons at him and ordered him to leave.

The two suspects were armed with M-14 rifles.

Carbon Police Station Chief Major Miles Dumoslog said it took a few minutes for the pawnshop employees to notify the police out of concern about their safety.

"We will find out where they came from in our investigation because they were carrying high-powered firearms," Dumoslog said.

He revealed that one police officer was not in his designated outpost and is now being investigated by his superior.

Meanwhile, two suspects in the robbery were arrested in Sitio Canumay, Barangay Labogon, Mandaue City about 9:15 a.m. on 26 November 2023. They were identified as Normal Manuel and Marcelyn Sonor.