ILOILO City – A 14-year-old high school student robbed a taxi driver with the help of a friend. He claimed he wanted to celebrate his birthday but did not have money.
The robbery was carried out at Westwoods Subdivision in Barangay Dungon B, Mandurriao district past 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
According to Pepito Tamon, 56, driver of Melvin taxi, the boys had a knife and fled after taking his P1,500 collection.
The boys were eventually arrested – one was a Grade 9 student and resident of Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao while the other was in Grade 8 and a resident of Barangay Bakhaw, also in Mandurriao.
According to Tamon, the youngsters boarded his taxi in Barangay Taft North, Mandurriao and asked to be taken to Westwoods Subdivision.
At the subdivision, the boys declared a holdup.
Tamon was quick to alert the police after the boys had fled.
Cops caught the suspects outside the subdivision. They managed to recover only P500 from the boys who confessed to the crime.
One of them claimed it was his birthday on Monday and needed money to celebrate, said Chief Superintendent Engelbert Banquillo, Mandurriao police chief.
There were initial suspicions that the boys were members of the Shoktong gang and the robbery was part of their initiation.
“But one Shoktong gang member went to our office and said the boys were not their members,” said Banquillo.
Tamon agreed not to press charges against the boys and accepted P5,000 from the boys’ parents./PN
