By Jennifer P. Rendon
In what was deemed as a first in several years in the sea waters of Carles, Iloilo, two suspected local pirates robbed a passenger motorbanca afternoon of September 23, 2021.
The two unidentified suspects escaped with an estimated P200,000 cash.
The money was the collection of cigarette retail agents Milton Sevilla, 54, of Barangay Palanguia, Pototan, Iloilo; and Gemar Prospero, 34, of Barangay Naslo, Pototan.
The two were employed to trade cigarettes in the coastal villages of Carles.
The two pirates also took P5,000 from Gerald Gerarde, 28, a resident of Barangay Natividad, Pilar, Capiz and Erol Bacudo, 29, of Barangay San Blas, Pilar.
Gerarde and Bacudo are working as account officers of lending company Card Bank. The P4,000 was their personal money while P1,000 was their collection.
Major Nestor Bacuyag, Carles police chief, said the incident happened in the waters of Barangay Buenavista, Carles around 4:30 p.m. Thursday but the victims reported the robbery two hours later.
Sevilla and Prospero narrated that they came from Barangay Granada Carles to deliver cigarettes several minutes before the robbery took place.
They hired M/B Neneng Pancito owned and skippered by Tito Requinto, with his crew Sherly Sisneros. Both are residents of the nearby Estancia town.
The four passengers were headed to Estancia when a blue motorbanca chased them.
The two suspects allegedly warned them to slow down, which they heeded.
“They moved with precision as they attached their motorbanca with that of the victims,” Bacuyag said, citing the victims’ narrations.
One of the suspects then poked a gun of unknown caliber against the victims and immediately took their cash and belongings.
The victims claimed that one of the suspects wore an upper camouflage shirt while the other donned a black shirt and leggings.
Both suspects were wearing bonnets that concealed their faces.
After the incident, the suspects fled away towards the direction of Brgy Buenavista, Carles, Iloilo.
“This is the first incident of piracy that our personnel have known in years. That’s why, we wanted to solve this immediately,” Bacuyag said.
But he admitted that they have no persons of interest, as of this writing.
“So far, we’re only holding on to the description of the boat,” said.
He noted, though, that the suspects spoke in the vernacular and were adept in navigating a banca.
Bacuyag said all possible angles are being considered.
It was gathered that the cigarette trading company had been doing business in the area since 2007.
“What they do is routine. The delivery and collection are done at the same time and at the same day. They also hired the same motorbanca for years,” Bacuyag noted.
The Carles Police Station has already coordinated with officials of coastal villages of Carles and nearby municipalities for the identification of the suspects’ motorbanca.
