MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon — In a brazen daylight assault, three employees of South
Bank Libona fell victim to a highway robbery that cost the institution a staggering ₱1,677,000.00
on June 17, 2026, at 9:40 a.m. along the Secondary National Highway in Sitio Miranda, Brgy.
Damilag, Manolo Fortich.

According to Police Lt. Col. Rogie C. Ortenco, chief of the Manolo Fortich Municipal Police
Station, initial investigation revealed chilling details: the victims’ gray Toyota Vios, bearing
Plate No. KGS 924, was discovered crashed in a roadside canal, its windshield riddled with eight
bullet holes—stark evidence of the gunfire exchange that unfolded.
The victims—a 30-year-old male driver, a 26-year-old female employee, and a 21-year-old male
security guard—were en route to deposit the bank’s cash collections to Landbank Manolo
Fortich Branch when two armed suspects aboard a Ford Ranger Wildtrak intercepted them. The
assailants disembarked and unleashed a volley of gunfire using both short and long firearms.
In a desperate bid to defend themselves, the driver and the security guard disembarked and
returned fire. But as the guard’s ammunition ran out, the suspects closed in, forcing the female
employee to surrender a bag containing the cash. With their loot secured, the gunmen fled
toward Sayre Highway, their escape route pointing either to Cagayan de Oro City or deeper into
Bukidnon.
Miraculously, the three employees emerged unharmed, though visibly shaken, and are now
assisting investigators at the Manolo Fortich MPS.
Police immediately launched a flash alarm and dragnet operation, coordinating with adjacent
stations and law enforcement units to intercept the fleeing suspects. The Scene of the Crime
Operatives (SOCO) of the Bukidnon Provincial Forensic Unit have since processed the crime
scene, gathering crucial evidence.
Bukidnon Police Provincial Director Col. Oliver S. Navales has ordered a thorough investigation
and swift pursuit of the culprits, vowing that justice will be served. (melbmadera)