By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – More than a week after it was stolen from a private museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, on July 3, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recovered the Mango Harvesters (1936) painting by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo in Manila.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Anthony Darroca, Silay police chief, said he was informed about the recovery of the stolen artwork on Thursday night.
Darroca and the case investigator flew to Manila on Friday night to gather more details about the recovery.
Based on initial details he had gathered, Darroca said the NBI launched an entrapment operation, which resulted in the arrest of two suspects—a woman and a man.
The suspects reportedly offered to sell Amorsolo’s painting for P3.5 million, significantly lower than its actual price of P50 million.
Darroca believed the suspects could be part of a group, as different individuals were involved in the theft and attempted sale of the stolen artwork.
The NBI has already filed an anti-fencing case against the two arrested suspects.
He said the final details would be released soon once he arrived in Manila to meet with the NBI operatives. Darroca noted the two arrested suspects are different from the two persons who posed as tourists and stole the artwork from the Hofileña museum last week.
Earlier, one suspect in the museum theft was identified by the police, who are also preparing to file charges, while the female suspect remains unidentified.
In a Facebook post late Friday afternoon, the National Museum of the Philippines said they had received the recovered painting from the NBI for assessment.
Director-General Jeremy Barns personally inspected the painting and assured the NBI that it was indeed the stolen artwork. He then issued a certification to this effect at the NBI’s request.
“We look forward to the return of ‘Mango Harvesters’ to its rightful owners and home at the Hofileña Museum and to the successful prosecution of all persons involved in the theft of this valuable piece of the nation’s cultural and artistic heritage,” the National Museum of the Philippines said.
The museum also lauded the NBI for safely retrieving the stolen painting and reaffirmed its commitment to assisting law enforcement agencies in any appropriate way.
Earlier, Mayor Joedith Gallego offered a P25,000 cash reward to anyone who could provide information leading to the recovery of the stolen painting and the arrest of the perpetrators.
