Screwdriver screwed the robber

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

POZURROBIO – “It was a crime story about the screwdriver that betrays the robber,” said by this first class town’s police chief after six Light Emitting Diode (LED) computer monitors and one system unit worth Php100,000 have been carted away lately at a public school here.

GOTCHA!. Alleged burglar Allen Banasen Langtiwan  alias Albert Molinas (black cap) who carted away six Light Emitting Diode (LED) computer monitors and one system unit worth Php100,000 at  Palacpalac Elementary School, Brgy. Palacpalac in Pozurrobio, Pangasinan was
taped by the Closed Circuit TV of DIY Hardware in Baguio City.

Chief Inspector Ryan Manongdo said it took only seven hours after him and his men solve the puzzle on the stashing away of monitors and central processing units (CPU) at Palacpalac Elementary School, Brgy. Palacpalac here.
This happened after the burglars left their screw driver on the floor near the forcibly opened door with the bar code still stuck on the handle.
“Ang nangyari was April 28 ng umaga. So pagharap namin doon nakita naming doon nakita sa padlock sira na. Na ransacks na iyong laman. So may nakita kami na malapit doon sa mga padlock isang screw driver,” he stressed in Filipino.
Manongdo said that after his investigator started to do their sleuthing at 6:45 Am of April 28.

Prosecutor Ephraim Tomboc receives a simple token from Chief Inspector Ryan Manongdo, chief of police
of Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, and his policemen. The token was a wooden plane with hanging miniature sword as symbol for the station's Project ESPADA or Enhancing Skills, Police Actions and Defensive Abilities.

The Corpus Delecti (Body of the Crime) that betrays the robbers

The code has words it was sold by DIY Hardware.
At 10 Am, Manongdo recounted, he immediately went to Urdaneta City, a 20 minutes ride from here, and asked the attendant of the branch there for more information on the corpus delicte (body of the crime).
“When I was told that the No. 6 on the bar code refers to DIY Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza Baguio City I and my investigator hurriedly prepare ourselves with written request and other documents and jumped into my car for an hour shotgun trip to Baguio”.
At   2 Pm he said he showed the supervisor there the screw driver and requested to see the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footages that would expose the buyer.
 “I just learned that the day before the robbery at Palacpalac the robber had just bought the tool at DIY”.
The supervisor told him that it was the only screwdriver they sold since it was purchased.
The robber was even taped by the CCTV outside the store disembarking with three companions from a Nissan Urban van.
He had also footage inside the hardware inquiring from the store’s attendant.
“Aside from the video, the saleslady who he inquired could be used as collaborative witness on the case we are going to file against him”.

He was informed that the suspect was Allen Banasen Langtiwan  alias Albert Molinas - after he reported to the Baguio City Police Station.
He said the chief of intelligence there showed him the photo of the suspect at the station’s rogue gallery.
“He told me that that Langtiwan has been a notorious robber with a string of cases. He was even caught in Pogo, La Union,” Manongdo, a member of Class 2005 of the Philippine National Police Academy, said.

The unmasking of the culprits has been a respite to the Police Regional Office-1 that has been besieged by the series of unsolved robberies in public schools and in private businesses.
“I was one of the last guys in our conference that brainstormed how to solve the numbers of robberies of computers all over the region. I told my superiors led by Chief Directorial Staff chief Senior Superintendent Marlou Chan that I brought the “smoking gun” that exposed the robbers,” he said.
The police bigwigs that called the conference lightened up upon hearing Manongdo’s subtle bravado since the malefactors incriminated, just like on police movies, by the tool could lead to the other unsolved robberies in the four provinces region, recounted by the former charismatic provincial police spokesman in Pangasinan.
“That smoking gun was the screw driver that screwed Langtiwan,” Manongdo concluded.