PCG, Maritime Police Sieze P32 Million Cash From Bank Employee in CDO Port, Going to Cebu

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has siezed a total of P32 million cash from a bank employee Sunday night, June 25. With the help of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group, the man is question was intercepted by the authorities, while he was in a port of Cagayan de Oro city in Barangay Macabalan, and about to leave for Cebu.



According to a report at Philippine News Agency, Senior Supt. Rustom Duran, head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group in Northern Mindanao, said in a radio interview this Monday, that the PCG received an intelligence report from Task Force Oro about a suspicious, unmarked, green armored van that will arrive at the said port.

At around 8pm Sunday, the said armored van parked at the CDO port, and the three men inside reportedly asked for porters who can unload four Styrofoam boxes. One of them claimed himself as an employee of UCPB (United Coconut Planters Bank) Velez branch in Cagayan de Oro, while the other two men were said to be bank security guards.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) police, along with PCG personnel, then ordered that the four boxes to undergo X-ray inspection. They were all shocked when they learned that the boxes contained P32 million in cold cash. The cargo was then put on hold, and the three persons, who were all wearing civilian clothes, were placed under the PCG custody.

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“When you transfer large amount of cash, it’s supposed to be a bank-to-bank transaction. That’s why the PCG is still interrogating the three persons to get to the bottom of the matter,” Duran said, adding that the kind of money delivery made was very unusual especially that the amount was too big, and that even other banks don't usually do it.



As of posting, the identities of the three bank employees have not been revealed in public. But as we all know, there are still terror threats in CDO despite the fact that suspected bomber of the Maute Group, Mohammad Noaim Maute alias Abu Jadid was arrested in the city last June 14. As of last Sunday, 7pm, the Marawi crisis death toll is already 387.

Contributed by Renato Pasayao