By Susan Palmes-Dennis
ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina—I was still busy caring for my hubby Ronnie when l heard from the grapevine about last Wednesday’s (Aug. 2) daylight robbery of a pawnshop in the usually busy public market district in Cogon, Cagayan de Oro City.
We didn’t learn what his critics said about the robbery which ended with the perpetrators speeding away with P9 million worth of jewelry and wounding of one of the pawnshop employees but Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy said, among other things, that he is pushing for an amendment to the security camera ordinance that would require businesses to install them or else won’t be issued their business permit.
I also learned that the pawnshop in question which is located near another pawnshop didn’t have a security guard unlike their neighbor. I would assume however that like other pawnshops the employees are safe within their partitioned windows with minimal contact with their customers. Except that their ‘customers’ on that day were heavily armed and one of them actually fired on the padlock of the door separating them from the employees.
As I write this, the pawnshop remains closed while the police have yet to arrest the perpetrators. Plainclothes cops are scouring the city streets for any signs of the suspects and I can only hope that these robbers are still in the city to this day so they can be made to answer for their crimes. But more than that, exactly how safe is the public from robbers especially since August is the fiesta season in the City of Golden Friendship?
Fiesta season means more people going out and spending money to treat themselves and their friends and with more people going in and out, the city police is on their toes monitoring public movement. That the robbery occured a day after City Hall launched the Higalaay Festival as Mayor Klarex pointed out is a disturbing development as it is an indicator that criminal elements are unafraid to take their chances even in broad daylight.
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Robberies aren’t unusual in a ‘highly urbanized city’ like Cagayan de Oro City but the amount stolen which is P9 million is nothing to sneeze at by the public, a lot of whom barely make minimum wage. Until the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice—and preferably their loot recovered intact—the specter of this P9 million daylight pawnshop robbery will linger long after the fiesta season is concluded.
But think of the amendment to the city ordinance. Obviously only big business can afford their security cameras and security guards but we have to know which businesses would qualify for this requirement. Is there an income bracket for this requirement to apply on business owners? Times change and what may be substantial business income for now may be small change in the not too distant future.
That said, security cameras are no guarantee for businesses to identify their perpetrators what with the penchant of these crooks to wear ski masks—erroneously called as ‘bonnet’ in local Pinoy police parlance—in order to hide their faces. The robbers in the Aug. 2 pawnshop heist were supposedly ‘professional’ since they carried heavy firearms reminiscent of former military officers like carbine rifles. But it’s anyone guess if ex-military guys were involved in this heist.
That they’ve remained under the radar nearly a week after the incident may lend credence to that suspicion. Newly installed city police chief Col. Salvador Radam has his work cut out for him and his people and the people of Cagayan de Oro won’t have reason to feel absolutely safe until these perpetrators are arrested even if as Mayor Klarex said the robbery is an isolated incident.
In the meantime, even with the campaign to invite more tourists and visitors to Cagayan de Oro City the public is well advised not to let their guard down. Lock down their homes when going out, avoid bringing jewelry and other valuables that can attract those with ill intent. Pretty basic advice but still useful in this day and age when one is hard pressed to detect the crooks from the law abiding.
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Still, Kagay-anons and their guests can enjoy the sights and sounds of the city in the safety of their homes so long as they keep the drinking and eating in moderation. True, revelry is to be expected in every fiesta celebration but so is being careful and practical. While spending is encouraged—and God knows the city and the country needs it after the two-year COVID-19 pandemic—practicality and safety remain the norm of the day.
Speaking of COVID-19, it’s still advisable to wear face masks especially in crowded areas with strangers who may or may not be vaccinated and may or may not be infected. And I also urge the public to take advantage of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine while supplies last to build their own protection from the virus even if the public health emergency had been lifted.
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