At least four suspected members of a hijacking syndicate operating in the northern part of Metro Manila were arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) while unloading canned products from a delivery truck in Valenzuela City Monday afternoon.
Behind bars and facing charges in violation of the anti-hijacking law are Ricardo Centeno, 63; Arturo Maniclang, 54, both residents of Tondo, Manila; Ronaldo Legaspi, 30, and Darwin Lestojas, 21, both of Pacita 2, San Pedro, Laguna, CIDG chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said.
This as Pagdilao quickly hailed the operatives of CIDG’s Anti-Organized Crime Division headed by its chief, Senior Supt. Pedro Cabatingan for responding swiftly which resulted in the arrest of the suspects and recovery of several Del Monte products.
In a report emailed to the Camanava Press office, Cabatingan said the suspects were arrested along East Canumay Service Road while unloading assorted canned Del Monte products from a delivery truck (RJC-601) to a passenger jeepney (CLJ-406) and a blue Anfra AUV (TET-138) which the suspects used as getaway vehicle.
Cabatingan told Pagdilao  he immediately dispatched his men after he received a call from one Rafael Altamera, the owner of the delivery truck, that the vehicle was hijacked by four men near a gasoline station along East Canumay Service Road.
Investigation showed the delivery truck loaded with P162,000 worth of Del Monte products left the Altamera warehouse in Midtown Village, Cainta, Rizal around 10 a.m. Monday to deliver the products to a mall in the city.
According to the driver, Darwin Haboc, the truck encountered mechanical trouble while they were on their way to Valenzuela City around 2 p.m. which forced him to halt the truck along East Canumay Service Road.
He then left the truck to the helper, Carmelo Handugan, to look for a place to buy spare parts.
Not long after Haboc left, two vehicles suddenly arrived with the four suspects on board.
The suspects grabbed and forcibly shoved Handugan inside the Anfra and afterwards they began unloading the content of the truck to the jeepney and the Anfra.
While inside the Anfra, Handugan called up Altamera about the on-going hijacking through his cellular phone which the suspects failed to confiscate from him.
Wasting no time, Cabatingan’s men arrived in the area where they caught the suspects flat-footed as they were unloading the canned products to the other vehicle. They were immediately brought to the CIDG office where they underwent investigation prior to the proper filing of charges against them.
Cabatingan said Monday’s hijacking incident of delivery truck loaded with Del Monte products was the second incident reported by the owner of the Altamera trucking.
With the first incident taking place last March 22, the CIDG is looking into the possibility that the suspects in the first incident belong to the same group that orchestrated the hijacking on Monday.             Arlie O. Calalo