DAVAO CITY – Davao City Police Office chief Police Col. Hansel Marantan is on a mission to apprehend and lock up the suspects in the broad daylight pawnshop robbery here on Feb. 26, an incident allegedly staged to tarnish the image of this city.

MARANTAN (Keith Bacongco)

Marantan is conducting the assignment amid insinuations from netizens that the political adversaries of the Duterte family plotted the brazen robbery in a busy commercial area.

Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte expressed skepticism over the robbery, saying that it could be a commissioned job, politically motivated, or it could go both ways.

“I’d like to sound unbiased when giving my analysis of this incident. Ang tingin ko, puwede naman kasi talaga na that individual na galing ng Leyte, he was asked to do a job here in Davao, kung illegal man o hindi niya alam, doon dinala at ‘yan ang ginawa nila,” Duterte said in his podcast.

He added that the suspects may have been promised a certain amount just to carry out the crime.

The political tension dragged Marantan into the ongoing squabble and was labeled a mere figurehead backed by Philippine National Police chief Police Gen. Rommel Marbil and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Marantan, a controversial but bemedalled police officer, shot down the allegations, saying that he is no figurehead of anybody and does not meddle in politics.

“Hindi ako tao ng kung sino-sino. Ako ay tao ng mamamayang Pilipino,” he told reporters in a press briefing on Thursday, March 6.

Marantan called for a press briefing to provide updates on the ongoing investigation and manhunt operations against the seven other suspects who were able to sneak out of the city following the incident last Feb. 26.

A seasoned journalist brought up insinuations that Marantan may have been assigned in the city to bring chaos.

“Kasi kung kaya akong utusan ng kung sinuman na gumawa ng masama sa Davao. At kung sinunod ko, hindi lang ito aabutin ng Davao sa akin. I’m an EOD, I’m a bomb expert…kung ‘yan lang din naman ang pag-uusapan. But I’m here to protect the constituents,” Marantan said.

Marantan admitted that there could be some lapses in the security sector that led to the incident.

But he assured that law enforcement agencies are doing its best to capture the suspects who are still at large and carted away between P40 to P100 million worth of jewelry.

A member of the family who owns the pawnshop expressed apprehension that the city is no longer safe following the incident.

The pawnshop owner said there have been robberies in the past but this was the first time that the crime was carried out in broad daylight.

Marantan said that they still consider the robbery as an isolated incident, saying that there are days that there are no crimes reported. “That’s a very sweeping statement. That would be unfair to the security cluster.”

Marantan said that they have already made adjustments to prevent similar incidents.

He defended the swift action of the police that led to the arrest of Johnny Bulawan, one of the eight suspects believed to be part of the Tolentino Criminal Gang led by certain Marvin Beronguis.

Marantan said that the Tolentino Criminal Gang is a splinter of the dreaded Ozamiz City-based Kuratong Baleleng, a notorious group responsible for extortion, bank robberies, assassinations, and drug pushing.

But as their leaders have been killed or captured, the group splintered into several groups. “This gives law enforcers the apprehension na mas maraming engage ang law enforcers kasi nag faction-faction na sila,” Marantan said.

The capture of Bulawan gave the police vital information that could be useful in their ongoing manhunt operations, Marantan said.

Among the vital information Bulawan disclosed was the alleged financier of the operation, said Marantan. “He is engaged in drug dealing and gun for hire.”

Based on interrogation with the suspect, the group conducted their casing in their target last January. The group selected Hannah’s Pawnshop because of its alleged lax security and has a large amount of jewelry.

Marantan said that the suspects have mastered their craft as they have been involved in several robbery incidents in Metro Manila and Calabarzon.

Marantan said that they are preparing appropriate charges against the suspects.

Demolition job

Bulawan said that somebody from Ozamiz City paid them to carry out the robbery just to disturb the peace here.

“I did not want to participate when I knew that the target was Davao City. However, I could no longer withdraw because I did not have money to travel back to Manila,” he said in an interview while inside his cell.

Bulawan, a native of Albuera town in Leyte, claimed that Beronguis is related to the Parojinog clan in Ozamiz City and he wanted to avenge the killing of his relatives.

Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. was killed in a police raid in 2017. Parojinog was said to be one of the ring leaders of the dreaded Kuratong Baleleng robbery gang.

Bulawan said he does not personally know the Parojinogs. “No, I only learned about them on TV.”

Bulawan carried the mallet and seen in the security camera hammering the door to get the jewelry.

He admitted that he was involved in several robberies against a courier firm in Metro Manila and other areas.

Whole-of-nation approach

Marantan downplayed the group, saying that they are no longer capable as before. “I have been fighting this group since 2004,” said Marantan who has 52 metal screws on his body, four bone plates, and a replaced knee due to several clashes with armed criminals that left him severely wounded in past major police operations.

After the dismantling of the Ozamiz core group, he believes that the criminal group has no centralized leadership anymore.

But he admitted that law enforcement agencies cannot just address the criminal syndicate problem alone.

Marantan likened the police to pain relievers. “We need whole-of-nation approach in solving criminality problem. Pain reliever lang kami as your law enforcement agency.”

He added that they will do their best to file cases against criminals and convicted for correction.

“After correction, ibalik sa community para magbago. Question, nagbago ba sila? No. they became even more monster. At that perpetrate sila ulit ng crime. Something has to be done in the entire justice system. Kasi nga kami pain reliever lang kami. We are there to stop the crime but the long-lasting solution, we cannot give that to you. It must be a whole-of-nation approach.”