Bank ATM, POSO outpost blasted on New Year’s Day
WAS it a robbery attempt or just plain vandalism?
The police are investigating the blasting of an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) of the Banco de Oro (BDO) branch located on A.B. Fernandez in Dagupan dawn on New Year’s Day.
Police Officer Dionisio Gonzales, investigator of the case, said the incident could just be the work of a prankster but they are also still looking into the possibility of a robbery attempt.
Henry Arce, BDO branch manager, believes the incident could just be plain vandalism.
Arce, however, said the blast totally destroyed the ATM machine but the vault, where the money is kept, remained intact and safe.
The explosion also partially destroyed the ceiling of the bank in front.
The incident happened at about 3:00 a.m., about two hours after the New Year revelry ended.
Gonzales said they gathered from the crime scene a paper wrapper of an improvised firecracker and parts of the blasted ATM machine, indicating that the still unidentified suspect did not use an improvised bomb.
Two guards, identified as Michael Santos and Bernard Aquino, were on duty at the time but based on the investigation report of the police they were both inside the bank when the explosion happened.
The guards told the police they saw a man, whom they could not identify except that he was dressed in black, leaving the scene after the explosion.
POSO OUTPOST
Meanwhile, a traffic outpost of the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) at the corner of Perez Boulevard and Guilig Street was blasted within minutes of each other.
POSO chief Robert Erfe-Mejia said he believes the two incidents may have been committed by the same perpetrator.
The explosion nearly ripped off the roof of the traffic outpost, bent the iron flooring and unfastened the galvanized iron walling.
No one was hurt as there was no one inside the post at the time but Erfe-Mejia said the blast could have easily mutilated or killed a person inside the structure.
A POSO enforcer hinted that the one who may have placed the powerful firecracker in the traffic outpost may have done it to get even with traffic enforcers who arrested him for traffic violation.
FIRECRACKER VICTIMS
Meanwhile, 15 people were brought to the Region 1 Medical Hospital prior to midnight of December 31 until the afternoon of New Year for injuries related to the New Year celebration.
Officials of R1MC said this number is much lower than the previous year and they attribute this to less firecrackers used this year due to the economic recession
In San Manuel town, 21 firecracker stalls were reported burned and destroyed mid-afternoon of December 31 when a lighted cigarette thrown by an unknown person ignited one of the pyrotechnics for sale. No one was hurt in that incident.—LM
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