CEBU CITY — Six armed robbers raided two jewelry stores on Calderon Street in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City, around 12 p.m. on Thursday, and carted away jewelry worth P14 million.
Surveillance footage from Macy's Gold and Silver Jewelry store shows three robbers wearing helmets entering the store and quickly grabbing jewelry from the display cases.
The robbers filled eco bags with the stolen items and ordered customers and staff to lie on the floor.
Meanwhile, three other robbers targeted the neighboring DGC D' Gold Chain Jewelry store, stealing valuable jewelry within a minute before fleeing.
The robbers escaped on three Honda XRM motorcycles via Lincoln Street. During their getaway, one suspect dropped a.45 caliber firearm.
A jewelry cleaner, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that she saw one of the suspects armed before he revealed his gun. Panicked, the cleaner and other vendors fled for safety, saying, "The man who came near me had a gun, and we all ran for our lives."
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), under Officer in Charge Col. Antonietto Cañete, quickly launched "Oplan Universe" and set up checkpoints throughout the city.
The Cebu Provincial Police Office also joined the effort, instructing all stations to be on high alert and search for suspects based on provided descriptions.
Maj. Philip John Libres of the Carbon Police Station said that two officers were patrolling Freedom Park during the robbery. He added that the robbers, who acted like habal-habal drivers, took advantage of the officers' absence while they were away on patrol to carry out the robbery.
Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage to identify the suspects.
"We are backtracking the CCTV footage and have some leads on potential suspects. Our focus now is on the manhunt operation," said Libres.
CCPO estimates that the stolen jewelry from Macy's exceeds P10 million, while the loot from DGC D' Gold Chain Jewelry is valued at more than P4 million.
Authorities are comparing this incident to similar robberies in Cebu City, Danao City, and Carcar City.
Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who visited the police office for a command conference, expressed shock at the robbery.
He instructed the police to intensify their crime-fighting efforts and demanded that Cañete resolve the case within 48 hours.