Police are on the lookout for a man previously held for robbery charges in Pasay City, following a string of theft incidents in the past weeks that involved branded, modified, and pricey bicycles.
One of the victims, who wanted to be identified only as John, said he spent around P30,000 to P40,000 on modifications for his stolen bicycle which is his main mode of transportation to work in Cavite. He said the incident happened on January 19 at around 9:35 p.m. in Barangay 132 zone 13.
"Nakuha yung bike ko sa Canoy Street pinark ko po yung bike ko sa harap nila Rya (gf ko), nanghiram po ako nang motor para mag deliver sa Parañaque, pagbalik ko po around 10:30 wala na po bike ko (My bike was stolen along Canoy Street, I parked it in front of my girlfriend's house. I borrowed a motorcycle to deliver something in Parañaque but when I returned by 10:30 in the evening, my bike was gone)," he said.
John added that he personally assembled the bike so it's possible for him to identify it once he sees it on the streets or online.
Another victim, Rhisza Barquilla, had her husband's bike worth P13,000 stolen including several other belongings such as branded apparel, and cash worth less than P10,000. Their tenants, who live below them, were also robbed. Barquilla said that the suspect broke into their home at around 12:34 a.m. on January 25 in Barangay 134.
"Tulog kami kasi nanganak ako nun 24 and then 25 ng gabi sobrang pagod sa dami ng inasikaso (We were asleep because I just gave birth on the 24th and on the 25th we were really tired from handling a lot of things)," she shared.
Barquilla said she did not expect that they would get robbed after being a resident of M. Dela Cruz for so long. She added that this was the first time it happened to them.
The latest to fall victim to the suspect was Princess Bautista. According to her, the incident occurred at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday in Barangay 135. Bautista said the suspect carted away their bicycle worth P10,000 and a speaker worth P1,000.
Upon checking the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in their respective areas, the victims all pointed to one suspect identified as Jason or "Adong."
"Marami na po post about po diyan sa Jason alyas “ADONG” po puro bike po ang kinukuha (A lot has posted about that Jason also known as "Adong" who has been stealing bikes mostly)," Bautista said.
One other victim, who refused to be identified, had their bike stolen on Tuesday as well at around 2 a.m. in Barangay 116. The unidentified suspect tried to take three bikes but the neighbors inside the compound heard the locks being cut so the suspect was forced to steal just one. Although the victim was not able to see the suspect, they suspect it's the same person.
Another victim, Jeff Deveza posted on January 29, that he lost two 26-inch Trinx mountain bikes worth P10,000 to P12,000 to two unidentified suspects. Barquilla alleged that Jason would sometimes bring his wife with him.
Three other victims were contacted by Manila Bulletin but have not yet replied.
According to Pasay City Police Chief Col. Cesar Paday-os, a certain Jason Valenzuela who was arrested on June 10, 2020 for robbery hold-up matched the descriptions and CCTV footage from the victims.
In case the victims find their bikes being sold online, Paday-os advised: "Kung makita nila online yong Bike na binebenta pwede na tayong mag initiate ng Police Operation isasama ng Police yong biktima kailangan maidentify nila na pag aari nila yong Bike (If they see their bikes for sale online, we can initiate a police operation, the police will accompany the victim and they need to identify that they own the bike)."
"Proof of ownership kung baga. Tapos mag execute sila ng affidavit para mag act sila as complainant sa suspect (It's like proof of ownership. They will then execute an affidavit so they can act as complainants)," he added.
Station Investigation and Detective Management Branch (SIDMB) Chief Police Major Wilfredo Sangel said that if they are indeed sure that the bikes are them, they should immediately coordinate with the police and barangay.