THE MEGAFORCE Integrated Security Agency (MISA) will be held liable by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for the robbery of Blackwater Elite’s dugout in the Blue Eagle Gym last April 23.
Blackwater Elite was playing against the EA Regens for the PBA D-League Foundation Cup when the theft occurred.
Mobile devices, wallets, clothing and cash were among the possessions reportedly stolen from the dugout. Team officials also said that the players’ salaries were handed out before the game.
Among the victims were former Blue Eagles Bacon Austria and Justin Chua.
PBA Commissioner Chito Salud said in an interview with The Philippine Daily Inquirer that the security agency would have to pay an estimated amount of P60,000 for the loss of the players’ valuables.
“We will request a thorough investigation and full compensation and replacement of the lost property, if warranted by the circumstances,” he added.
A month into the negotiations with the PBA, the Ateneo Facilities Management Office (FMO) Director Jose Arnulfo Batac still refused to comment on the league’s demand for compensation. He noted, however, that a statement would be issued to The GUIDON once the case was settled.
Ongoing investigation
The day after the robbery, the Ateneo said in a press release that “a lone suspect [was] apprehended immediately after the incident. The suspect was found to be a regular spectator of D-League games.”
The thief eluded six security guards stationed at the Blue Eagle Gym at the time of the game. Four roamed around the playing area and bleachers, while the other two manned each of the dugouts.
Despite these measures, the suspect was supposedly able to enter the dugout with ease, as there was no sign of forced entry, the statement read.
Blackwater Elite coach Leo Isaac made his disappointment with the venue security known, informing reporters that there was only one entrance to the dugout.
When asked by The GUIDON how the thief managed to evade security personnel, MISA refused to give any information as “investigations are still ongoing.”
Batac noted, however, that based on preliminary findings, the theft may have been an inside job.
Countermeasures
According to Ateneo’s press release, “security measures have been beefed up in the Blue Eagle Gym area and additional personnel will be deployed during public games that will be played.”
Batac said that the FMO, together with MISA, would base campus security improvements on the findings of the investigation of the Blue Eagle Gym robbery.
Batac also noted that upon the recommendation of the University Athletics Office, FMO would install closed circuit television cameras in the decades-old gym.
Faltering campus security
This is not the first time that thieves have breached campus security.
Last January, a construction worker posed as a student and tried to cart off unattended bags in the Gonzaga Hall cafeteria.
The perpetrator was immediately cornered and apprehended by an undercover security guard.
Another on-campus theft occurred in March 2012, when a thief attempted to steal a student’s laptop from Schmitt Hall. The robber was apprehended by security officers when he tried to get away in a tricycle.
During the interrogation, the Schmitt Hall thief identified flaws in the campus security. He noted that security falters during rush hour, as the large volume of students entering the campus keeps security guards from checking vehicles individually.
