Two Makati robbery suspects undergo inquest
Two suspects who stole from a Japanese in November have undergone inquest, the Makati police said Monday.
Since October 19, there have been seven robbery incidents victimizing Japanese nationals in Makati City and Paranaque City. The last one was on November 27 but no details were given.
Col. Jean Dela Torre is the current officer-in-charge of the Makati police after its former head was administratively relieved last week.
In an interview with The Daily Manila Shimbun, Makati Police public information office head Capt. Jenibeth Artista said: “We have two suspects that have been arrested (last November 12) and they are undergoing inquest.”
“We also have identified two suspects from the rogue gallery, who were involved in victimizing a Japanese. We filed a case against two suspects (on November 2) but we are waiting for the warrant of arrest,” she said.
“So what we really need is for the (Japanese) embassy and also the (Bureau of) Immigration to inform also the foreign nationals to please take care of their belongings and to keep their properties, especially their passports,” she added.
Artista said the case against the suspects was filed at the Makati Prosecutor’s Office.
The Makati City police also urged the Japanese community to report robberies immediately and be more careful with securing their belongings.
“Most of the Japanese victims actually do not report on time. What I mean by reporting on time is that after three days, after a week, it’s already super late because we can no longer backtrack the CCTV (closed-circuit television),” Artista said.
“We need to ask them for their statement for the investigation. What they do is that they are executing an affidavit of disinterest (to file a case). They are no longer interested in filing the case because they're just tourists due to the limited time they need to fly back to their country,” she said.
Artista said that if their phones are stolen, Japanese victims should block any information there as soon as possible to prevent suspects from committing cybercrimes.
To the Japanese tourists and residents in the city, Artista said: “Help us by reporting it right and reporting it on time. Right after the incident, as much as possible... And please do not disregard the investigation because it is important. There have been a series (of robbery incidents) because reporting them has been neglected.” Jaspearl Tan/DMS
