SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 Nov) – Mayor Ernesto T. Matugas said there is lax in security on the part of the banks in the city, particularly on the recent robbery at United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), wherein at least P4.4 million was carted away Monday morning.
Matugas said he spoke with the Surigao Bankers Club, telling them to tighten their security to avoid being victimized by robbers.
Like his sister-in-law, Surigao del Norte Governor Sol F. Matugas, the mayor has offered a bounty as to who could lead authorities to the arrest of the robbers.
He pointed out that UCPB has no alarm system linked to the Surigao City Police Station.
The city police stations is less than a kilometer away, while the provincial police office is just two blocks away from the UCPB.
UCPB-Surigao bank manager Allaniel Bumanglag has refused to give comments on this issue, saying he is not allowed to by the head office.
Last Monday, four armed robbers barged into the bank and swiftly carried out the heist in just less than a minute.
Police are virtually facing a blank wall on the incident. Up to now, they have not yet identified the suspects.
Paul Go, president of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce-Surigao City, told MindaNews that the robbery brought shame to the police and the present administration in the city government.
He said businessmen here had installed CCTV as deterrent to crime.
“We spoke about this yesterday with police and local leaders for us to come up with tight security plan,” Go added.
He stressed that in developed countries, security is the least of the concerns among businessman as it is the task of the police to protect everyone, including businesses in town.
