TACLOBAN CITY- Police officers in Allen, Northern Samar are now on a manhunt operation against suspects of a hold-up incident involving more than P1 million, said to be the income of a ferry terminal in the said town.
Based on a police report, the robbery incident took place last Tuesday afternoon as the three unidentified suspects, who were on board, blocked the way of victims Ariel Pontalva, 34 years old and driver of a Nissan Sentra, and his companion, Betty Lou Napone, 23, at the national highway located in Barangay Londres, Allen town.
The suspects approached the vehicle of the victims and at gun point declared a hold up. The suspects carted away with them the bag containing P1.2 million.
The victims, who were both employees of the Philharbor Incorporated, which operates the ferry terminal in Barangay Dapdap, also of the said town, were on their way to Catarman to deposit the money.
The company is said to be owned by Allen Mayor Loreana Suan. The Leyte Samar Daily Express called her on her mobile phone to get her side about the incident but to no avail.
The suspects, after the heist, fled towards a mountainous area, the police report said. The Allen police station, through SPO4 Alfonso Rarela, are conducting investigation on the robbery incident and had launched a manhunt operations against the suspects.
Chief Supt. Abner Cabalquinto, police regional chief, said that he already directed both the provincial and local police to conduct manhunt operations against the suspects. He also directed all police stations in the region to be on alert to thwart occurrence of similar incident.
Meantime, a military official, who declined to be identified, said that the suspects could be members of the New People's Army who were out to avenge on the failure of Mayor Suan to pay the "permit-to-campaign" fee during the recently-held elections.
"She was asked to pay the PTC but she declined…" the military official told Express.
The PTC are "fees" collected by the members of the communist NPA among candidates to allow them to conduct on areas where their presence is strongly felt.
