Cebu City robbery: Stolen bag returned to Korean tourist

A CCTV footage captured the moment a man discreetly took a bag owned by a Korean tourist who was taking pictures while visiting a popular temple in Brgy. Busay, Cebu City last Sunday, April 6. | Screengrab from video by Jhoy Tarcita-Orcullo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A bag that was stolen from a Korean tourist who was taking pictures at a popular tourist destination in Brgy. Busay, Cebu City last Sunday, April 6, has been retrieved.

The victim and her acquaintance have already flown back to their home country after the bag has been returned to her possession on Wednesday evening, April 9.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), revealed that they received a report about an abandoned bag inside a restroom in a fast food restaurant in Brgy. Lahug.

Upon checking the item, authorities found the victim’s bank cards and passport inside. The cash, however, was nowhere to be found.

Jhoy Tarcita-Orcullo, whom the foreigners rented a vehicle from for their city tour, told CDN Digital that several police officers visited the victims in Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City on Wednesday night to return the missing bag.

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She added that the tourists have flown back to their home country after retrieving their passports and documents.

As of this writing, police continue to backtrack through Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footages and investigating the identities of the persons responsible behind the Cebu City robbery.

A CCTV footage obtained and uploaded by Jhoy Tarcita-Orcullo on her social media page showed the moment when the victim placed her bag on the floor as she posed for photos with her companion at a popular temple.

A man, who was wearing a white polo shirt, can be seen standing near the two Korean nationals and observing what they were doing. A few minutes later, the man picked up the bag and handed this to his female companion who was nearby. Both then hurriedly left.

According to Tarcita-Orcullo, the Cebu City robbery was possibly planned as the two suspects had been watching her guests during their stay at the temple at around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

She added that the suspects were part of a group of at least eight robbers, who met outside the temple to change their clothes and hailed a taxi towards a mall in Brgy. Lahug.

Although the stolen item has been returned to its owner, the investigation is still ongoing to identify the persons responsible for taking it. Macatangay said that they do not discount the possibility that the individuals involved were not locals.

She also stated that in order to avoid being victimized by robbers while on vacation, both tourists and locals alike must stay vigilant and take good care of their own belongings.

“We must be conscious and aware of our surroundings. Our important documents, money and the likes should not separate from our body especially kung turista ta…To other locals as well, motabang pud ta og bantay aning mga bisita nato ngari sa syudad sa sugbo so that they will have a very nice experience in visiting our locality,” said Macatangay.