ILOILO City – The top police official in Western Visayas has admitted a major intelligence failure following two daring Termite Gang burglaries in Iloilo Province and warned local police commanders that another successful attack could lead to their removal from office.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Brigadier General Josefino Ligan issued the warning after the notorious burglary group carried out a second high-value heist Calinog town months after string the municipality of Pavia, exposing gaps in police monitoring and preventive operations.
“May failure kasi hindi na-preempt,” Ligan said during a press conference at Camp Martin Delgado, referring to the inability of police intelligence units to detect and stop the operations before they were executed.
Ligan stressed that intelligence personnel should have identified suspicious movements and thwarted the attacks before they happened instead of merely identifying suspects afterward.
“Obligasyon ng intelligence ‘yan. Ang trabaho nila ay mag-monitor at maagapan ang ganitong klaseng operasyon. Hindi puwedeng pagkatapos na lang ng insidente saka natin makikilala kung sino ang mga suspek,” he said.
The regional police director revealed he had already convened police commanders across Western Visayas to tighten intelligence coordination and strengthen monitoring against organized criminal groups.
He warned that another successful Termite Gang operation in Iloilo province would be unacceptable.
“Nakadalawa na sa Iloilo Province. Pag napangatlohan pa tayo, para na tayong mga tanga diyan. Pinagtatawanan na tayo ng mga sira ulo na ‘yan. Your position is on the line,” Ligan said.
Ligan emphasized that the presence of a large police force in the region should have already served as a deterrent against organized burglary syndicates.
Meanwhile, the Calinog Municipal Police Station believed that the suspects behind the April 27 robbery at Bayate Pawnshop were members of the same Termite Gang linked to the earlier robbery involving a jewelry store and money changer inside GT Mall Pavia last year.
Police Captain Myles Dieron, chief of the Calinog police, said investigators have already identified four suspects in the pawnshop burglary, where around P3 million worth of jewelry was stolen.
“Our backtracking operations confirmed that the identities of the suspects match those of known Termite Gang members involved in the GT Mall Pavia incident,” Dieron said.
The suspects, reportedly aged between 30 and 40, are all residents of Baguio City, according to police investigators.
Authorities are now preparing robbery charges against the identified suspects.
Ligan said all police units in Western Visayas have been ordered to intensify intelligence gathering and coordinate closely with business establishments, local government units, and private security agencies to prevent similar attacks.
He underscored the need for police work to shift from reactive investigation to aggressive prevention.
“We should stop these criminals before they strike, not just solve the case after they escape,” Ligan said./PN
