Don't give anybody the opportunity to hold you up.

Bacolod City police director Senior Supt. Pedro Merced gave this warning to the public following another incident involving a Balikbayan who was held up and robbed by two unidentified persons at the Bacolod reclamation area yesterday morning.

Myca Bahin Kintanar, 31, a bank teller of the Bank of America in San Diego, California, USA, and her niece, Armena Guillermo, 20, reported to Police Precinct 2 that two unidentified persons held them up and took their bags containing valuables and cash.

Kintanar said she and Guillermo had just alighted from a boat from Iloilo City and were on their way to the Casino Filipino Hotel at the Goldenfields Commercial Complex where they planned to stay.

Kintanar said she had been taking pictures and video footages of the Bacolod reclamation area and seaport, when she answered a call of nature and hid in the grassy area to relieve herself.

Kintanar said she was surprised to see two man, one of whom poked his knife at her side, and declared a hold-up. She said the man grabbed her bag containing $1,000 U.S. and P28,000 in cash, Nokia cellphone and important documents.

She said the hold-upper also ordered her to take off her gold bracelet, ring and necklace.

Later, the Bacolod City Mobile Group led by Insp. Luisito Acebuche apprehended a 17-year-old boy from Purok Narra-Baybay, Brgy. 8 who was positively identified by Kintanar and Guillermo as one of the hold-uppers.

The minor, however, claimed he was sleeping at the time of the incident. He said he agreed to go with the CMG operatives in Precinct 2 for investigation, not to be detained for robbery with hold-up charges.*DMG

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