The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) on Thursday bared that the Tolentino criminal gang was behind the Hannah’s Jewelry and Pawnshop robbery along Ilustre Sreet in Davao City on Febrary 26, 2025.
In his presentation in a press conference at Camp Captain Domingo Leonor (DCPO headquarters), DCPO acting City Director Colonel Hansel Marantan said the Tolentino criminal gang is being led and financed by a certain Marvin Beronguis and two other personalities only known as alias “Ramil” and alias “Takyo”.
Marantan said the alleged members of the group are Johnny Dehito Bulawan, who was arrested at Bankerohan Public Market after the robbery; Jimmy “Jerome” Calo, alleged driver of the getaway vehicle; Jade Lasula Dadang; alias “Rodolfo,” alias “Jack,” an unidentified female member, and an unidentified male member.
He added that Calo has an outstanding warrant of arrest for robbery with homicide.
Marantan said the Tolentino criminal gang is also responsible in the series of robberies of LBC branches in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, National Capital Region (NCR), and Cebu City.
He said the group has already robbed close to 15 LBC outlets.
“So, imagine that nakapag practice na sila ng robbery, how to enter, how to do it swiftly and all that,” he said.
Before the robbery happened, on February 26, 2025, Jerome, Jack, and Johnny, onboard the Toyota Innova, left Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental on Tuesday evening, February 25, and arrived in Davao City at 5 a.m. the next morning.
The group met in Ecoland and stayed at an inn in Matina Aplaya.
Allegedly, the Hannah’s Jewelry and Pawnshop robbery was carried out through their unknown contact in Davao City wherein the suspects carted away jewelries amounting to P42,100,000.
“The presentation is supposed to be confidential but I will say it, this presentation is not confidential,” Marantan said.
Marantan said the suspects chose Hannah’s because they could rob more jewelries from the establishment.
“When the perpetration happened, hindi sila normal na tao, they were monsters at that time,” he said.
Based on CCTV footage, four suspects carried out the brazen daylight robbery. The DCPO released CCTV screen grab photos of three armed suspects with one carrying a long firearm.
After a hot pursuit operation, authorities were able to arrest one of the suspects, Bulawan, at Bankerohan Public Market and recovered bags containing a 9mm handgun, a high-powered rifle, dozens of ammunitions, and some of the pieces of jewelries.
Marantan said the actions that DCPO will take as ways forward include fast-tracking the issuance of the warrant of arrest against the remaining suspects, exposing the photos of the suspects as well as the corresponding reward to the media, inclusion of the suspect in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Most Wanted list, increasing the reward given by Police Regional Office 11 (PRO 11) Director Brigadier General Leon Victor Rosete for informants, if possible, by the complainnats-victim (pawnshop), and possible media intervention for a speedy solution of the case.
Last Friday, February 28, DCPO, in coordination with the Police Regional Office 11 (PRO 11), has offered a P100,000 reward for each suspect to anyone who can provide credible information leading to their identification and location.
Meanwhile, Bulawan alleged on Thursday that a well-known family in Ozamiz City sent them to disrupt Davao City.
Bulawan revealed to the Davao media that he was planning to back out from the robbery because he was thinking about former president Rodrigo Duterte, however, because he didn’t have the fare to go back to Osamiz City, he just went along with robbing the pawnshop on February 26, 2025.
Based on the CCTV shared with the media, Bulawan was the one who smashed the jewelry shelves of the pawnshop using a mallet. He was also the person sitting in the middle of the motorcycle ridden by the suspects.
Bulawan is currently under the custody of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).
“At this moment, Johnny Bulawan is very cooperative sa atin. Hindi natin siya sinaktan, we gave him all the necessary rights para magsalita siya. He is very useful now para sa kasong ito,” Marantan said.
Marantan said they would wait for the release of the warrant of arrest and vowed to pursue the suspects at large.
“We will wait for the warrant of arrest, anyway we already filed the case and when we secure the warrant of arrest then we go. This is a good case and hindi puwedeng ma-dismiss yan,” he said.
