ILOILO City – Two call center agents were assaulted in separate but similarly timed early morning incidents in Mandurriao district on April 23, sparking public alarm and prompting city officials to order increased police visibility in the area.
The attacks occurred within an hour of each other, both targeting night-shift workers on their way home or commuting.
Around 4:20 a.m., 25-year-old Jerick Sano was waylaid by six men on two motorcycles while walking along Barangay San Rafael. The assailants kicked him to the ground, struck him in the head, and robbed him of personal items including groceries for his infant child, a cellphone, and a vape.
Sano said one of the suspects also brandished a knife.
Barely an hour later, another call center agent, Junelle Baldon, was assaulted near SM Strata in Barangay Bolilao.
While waiting for a jeepney, Baldon was approached by three men who suddenly punched him in the head and face. The victim, who recounted the incident via social media, was left bleeding but not robbed.
Police Station 10 is now reviewing CCTV footage from SM Strata to help identify Baldon’s attackers. Meanwhile, Sano’s case is being handled by the Mandurriao Police Station.
Although both incidents remain under separate investigations, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) spokesperson Shella Mae Sangrines said authorities are not ruling out a connection.
“One leans toward a robbery-hold-up while the other appears to be a random assault. Still, both are being pursued with urgency,” she noted.
Following the incidents, ICPO director Police Colonel Kim Legada ordered an immediate reassessment of deployment strategies in Mandurriao. Mobile units and the Iloilo City Mobile Force Company have since been dispatched to intensify patrols during early morning hours.
Mayor Jerry Treñas, through his spokesperson Joy Fantilaga, condemned the assaults and called for swift police action.
“The safety of every Ilonggo, especially our workers returning home at vulnerable hours, is a top priority,” Treñas said.
Both victims are currently recovering./PN
