Termite gang strikes Iloilo mall; sweeps over P30M in jewelry and cash via underground tunnel
- Robbers bypassed main security by navigating the mall’s drainage system, tunneling through the floor of a massage spa, and crawling through the ceiling to reach their targets
- The heist resulted in an estimated loss of PHP 30 million in jewelry and nearly PHP 900,000 in cash from a pawnshop and a money changer, leaving vaults virtually empty
- Investigation revealed that a tenant allegedly heard hammering noises as early as Sunday night—days before the discovery—raising questions about missed red flags and potential insider information
- Police suspect the involvement of the notorious "Termite Gang," a syndicate known for their mining-like excavation tactics, linking this incident to a similar pattern of robberies across Iloilo
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It was a heist defined not by brute force at the front gates, but by a quiet, methodical excavation from beneath.
Source: Youtube
On the morning of December 17, the staff of GT Town Center in Barangay Ungka II arrived to open their shops for the holiday rush, only to find their livelihoods shattered by a robbery so sophisticated it seemed ripped from a cinema script.
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The targets were high-value but the entry point was dirty. According to the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), a group of at least six to seven men—suspected members of the notorious "Termite Gang"—executed a precision strike that netted them an estimated PHP 30 million in jewelry and hundreds of thousands in cash.
The audacity of the crime lay in its execution. Provincial Police Director Col. Bayani Razalan revealed that the perpetrators didn't break down doors; they came from the ground up.
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Utilizing the cover of darkness around 3:10 AM, three primary suspects navigated the mall’s external drainage system, crawling through culverts until they were positioned directly beneath the Nuat Thai Foot and Body Massage Center.
Like miners, they hammered and chiseled through the concrete floor, creating a hole just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
Once inside the spa, they didn't stop. They breached the ceiling, crawling through the cramped plenum space to bypass walls and drop down into their true targets: a pawnshop and a money changer.
The scene discovered by a 22-year-old security guard at 5:30 AM was one of devastation. Debris falling from the ceiling was the first clue, but the true damage was inside the vaults.
The pawnshop and jewelry store took the heaviest hit. Management's initial inventory suggests that virtually every piece of jewelry, valued at roughly PHP 30 million, was swept clean.
The thieves also cracked the vault, taking PHP 280,000 in cash and leaving behind nothing but inexpensive watch straps.
A nearby money changer fared no better, losing PHP 588,000 in pesos and an uncalculated amount of foreign currency from an unlocked vault.
As investigators piece together the timeline, frustrating "what ifs" have emerged. Col. Razalan noted that a tenant had actually reported hearing hammering sounds as early as Sunday night.
Tragically, this noise was not investigated further, allowing the gang days to potentially prep their entry or weaken the structure.
"We are not discounting the possibility of an inside job," Razalan admitted, pointing out the suspects' intimate knowledge of the mall's layout. "They knew exactly where to dig and where to crawl. Worse, one of them might be familiar with the establishment."
This incident is not an isolated case but rather the latest escalation in a disturbing trend. The "Termite Gang," often comprised of individuals with mining or excavation backgrounds from the Cordillera region, has plagued Iloilo before.
Similar subterranean tactics were used in robberies in Jaro district in August 2024 and a recent hit in Balasan earlier this month.
Authorities had previously conducted lectures on hardening security against these specific tactics, yet the gang continues to find weaknesses.
As the holidays approach, the local business community is now on high alert, reminded once again that their strongest walls may mean nothing if the threat comes from the ground beneath their feet.
In other news, Cesar Cabral, spouse of the late DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, has voiced his deep distress over the bureaucratic hurdles delaying the retrieval of his wife's remains, urging authorities to prioritize the family's need for closure. Seeking to avoid further trauma, the Cabral family has formally declined an autopsy through a signed legal waiver, maintaining their conviction that the fatal incident in Benguet was a tragic roadside accident. The former Undersecretary's life ended late Thursday after she reportedly fell from a steep 30-meter precipice along Kennon Road in Tuba, an event that remains under close police scrutiny due to her former high-office status. Despite the ongoing probe and intense public interest, the family's singular objective is to bring the late official back to Manila to commence a peaceful wake and offer her a dignified final farewell.
Meanwhile in news abroad, retired racing champion Greg Biffle, along with his wife, two children, and three other passengers, was tragically killed when their private business jet crashed during a failed landing attempt on Thursday morning. The Cessna C550, which had briefly departed before attempting an emergency return, went down amidst poor visibility and drizzle at Statesville Regional Airport, igniting a massive post-impact fire. While a family statement has identified the seven victims, local responders faced significant challenges at the scene due to the severity of the wreckage and subsequent blaze, which complicated early identification efforts. A comprehensive investigation is now underway, led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA, to determine if weather conditions or mechanical failure led to the fatal descent.
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