Manila: A vehicle owned by a member of the House of Representatives was robbed of valuables while parked inside a popular mall in Manila last Monday.
Representative Rowena “Nina” Taduran of the partylist, Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS), said that her Sport Utility Vehicle was parked at the SM City Mall in Santa Mesa district when it was broken into and her valuables taken by the perpetrator.
At the time of the incident, Taduran was away at the presidential palace attending a special event, the signing into law of the national budget. She said the SUV was driven by her driver who came to the mall together with her children.
The thief shattered one of the glass panels of the vehicle’s window in order to gain access to the valuables inside. Such modus is typical handiwork of so-called “basag kotse” criminals.
She said among the items stolen from her vehicle was her Congress-issued laptop, mobile phone, several pieces of jewellery, as well as cash.
“Whatever had happened, I was thankful that no one got hurt,” she said in a Facebook post.
Taduran lamented that the incident was not recorded on the mall’s close circuit television (CCTV).
She said that there been a video recording of the incident, the crime would have been easier to solve.
Under local business regulations, commercial establishments such as malls are required to install CCTVs.
The partylist where Taduran is among the elected representative, ACT-CIS, had participated in the 2019 elections on an anti-criminality platform.
Taduran was a hard-hitting radio-station anchor and commentator before she was elected to Congress.
According to the management of SM City Santa Mesa, police are conducting an investigation into the matter.
Despite government pronouncements that incidences of crime had dramatically gone down under the present administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, occurrences such as this still happen.
