The Public Order and Safety Management Office (POSMO) was raided by six minors, five of whom have been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for intervention.
The looters had unwittingly left a recording of themselves in a DSLR camera in the POSMO as they toyed with it, through which they were identified by law enforcement.
Discovering the suspects were minors, the police arranged a “rescue” operation. They waited for the end of the children’s classes before taking them in.
Executive Master Sergeant Rina Salaya, an Investigator at the Iloilo City Police Station 1 reports that five of the six children were “rescued,” two of them nine years old, the others aged 10, 11, and 13. All reside in Barangay Muelle Loney.
The children confessed to the crime and handed authorities the stolen items: three laptops, a phone, a vape, and a bird cage. Investigation found that they had first broke in on Saturday, September 21, and came back on the afternoon of the following day. During their first foray into the office, they had only eaten the food they were able to find. On the 22nd, they had taken with them devices, but said they did not intend to sell these.
The underaged suspects were handed over to the DSWD, where they came in for an intervention. They were given back to their parents afterwards.
According to Barangay Chairman Arnold Roga, two of the youths were implicated in past theft cases.
The POSMO Officer-In-Charge JV Mabong said in a statement that he had asked Mayor Jerry Treñas for a round-the-clock police service, but was only met with a response to make full use of POSMO’s employees via shifts.
News of minors behind the burglary caught Treñas by surprise. He promised to assist in steering the youth away from crimes with the implementation of programs and interventions.
