RMED MAN ROBS PINATUBO HIKERS + +
CLARK FREEPORT – If the mountains of North America have Bigfoot, Mt. Pinatubo in Central Luzon has emerged with its Barefoot who is now being hunted by both soldiers and policemen on the slopes of the volcano.
Guy Hilbero, tourism officer of Mabalacat, Pampanga, christened as �Barefoot� the suspect in what he described as a �historic holdup� of three young British nationals on the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo at about 8:30 a.m. last Sunday.
�In the 15-year history of trekking to the crater-lake of Mt. Pinatubo, it was the first holdup of tourists to happen on the slopes. In that sense, the holdup was historic and it was an embarrassment for our tourism industry, � Hilbero lamented.
He identified the victims as British nationals Peter Turner and his sister Selma Turner and their friend David Padfield, all in their early 20�s. The turners are Eurasians vacationing with relatives of the Filipino mother in San Felipe, Zambales.
�It was the first such incident since I initiated trekking to the summit of Mt. Pinatubo 15 years ago as a tourist attraction,� Hilbero said. The two-kilometer wide lake on the crater was formed when the summit of the volcano collapsed during its eruption in 1991. Treks to the volcanic summit have become a major tourist attraction in Central Luzon since then.
The three victims set for the trek to the crater at about 5 a.m. last Sunday. About 100 foreign and domestic tourists were bound for the trek that day, although they went in separate groups, each with a local guide.
Hilbero said the trek, which he also joined with a separate group, started at the tourism center in Barangay Sta. Juliana in Capas, Tarlac where the trekkers hired a four-wheel powered jeep which travelled one and a half hours to the slopes. In an area no longer accessible to vehicles, the tourists started their trek on foot that was supposed to last two hours up to the summit.
�We were already climbing on foot for about half an hour when we saw the British youths, who were ahead of us by about half a kilometer, rushing back to us shouting they were held up,� he recalled.
The victims, who had a guide named Jun Salazar, said the lone holdupper, wielding what seemed to be an improvised pistol, suddenly jumped from a rock in front of them and announced the holdup. They were immediately told to throw their bags away and lie on their stomachs.
They said that when the suspect had collected their bags, the suspect told them to run away as fast as they could, as he fired one shot into the air.
The victims lost two Canon cameras worth some P75,000 each, one digital camera, P10,000 cash, three iPad tablets, signature sunglasses, and a Timex watch.
Hilbero said investigators who later responded to the incident referred to the suspect as Barefoot. �Ground prints at the site of the holdup indicated that the suspect was barefoot. The victims said he also wore fatigue uniform with matching hat,�
Hilbero said that the victim�s Filipino guide could not say whether the suspect was an Aeta, although he described him as �short and dark complexioned.�
Responding Philippine Air Force soldiers and barangay officials from Sta. Juliana, led by its chairman Salvador de los Reyes, failed to track down Barefoot, although they theorized that the suspect could have had company as indicated by camping leftovers near the holdup site.
Despite the incident, the tourists decided to go on with their climb to Mt. Pinatubo�s lake where Hilbero treated them to a free boat ride. After the trek, the victims were also treated to free meals and a reimbursement of the P1,500 fee each paid for the hiring of the jeep, tourist guide fee, and the meal. Hilbero also lent them P3,000 of his personal funds to enable them to go back to Zambales where they have been staying since they arrived a week ago.
Hilbero asked yesterday Brig Gen. Fred Payawan, commander of the 600th airbase wing here, to help track down Barefoot.
�I know the terrain, and I am sure Barefoot is still there somewhere and would not be able to leave except through the western side of the slopes. We will catch him,� he assured the victims.
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DOT asks police, military to protect Pinatubo crater tourists
MABALACAT, Pampanga � The regional office of the Dept. of Tourism (DOT) has asked the police and the Philippine Air Force to help protecting foreign and local tourists hiking the crater of Pinatubo volcano.
This developed after three British nationals, along with their Filipino tour guide, were held up last January 9 by an Aeta while on their way to the Pinatubo volcano�s crater, a popular tourist destination among backpackers.
A police report states that Selina Turner, 25; Peter Turner, 27; and David Padfield, 26; were hiking with their tour guide, June Salazar, 46, towards the volcano�s crater in Sta. Juliana village, Capas, Tarlac when an Aeta armed with an homemade handgun emerged from the bushes and declared a hold-up.
The still unidentified Aeta took the foreigner�s three backpacks containing three digital cameras, three wristwatches, two I-phones, some P10,000 in cash, and clothes.
�We are also now closely coordinating with the local chief executive of Capas, Tarlac, Mayor TJ Rodriguez, regarding the security and safety status of the route to Mt. Pinatubo via Barangay Sta. Juliana,� DOT Central Luzon Director Ronaldo Tiotuico said on Thursday.
�The local PNP and the Philippine Air Force are now in hot pursuit of the suspects who held up three Britons while on their way to the crater,� he added.
Tiotuico, who described the hold-up incident as �an isolated one,� said the three Britons, who came from Zambales province, were provided with clothes and overnight accommodation by Capas municipal tourism officer Marissa Vidal.
�Ms. Vidal took care of the victims by providing them clothes, overnight accommodation and even a complementary body splash at the Korean spa town. She assisted them in going back home to their province in Zambales the day after the incident,� he said.
Tiotuico said the DOT, with the assistance of the police, the Air Force and the local government of Capas, will implement �strict safety and security measure� for foreign and local tourists wanting to scale the heights of Mt. Pinatubo.�
PO2 Fidel Zipagan, who conducted the investigation on the robbery of the British nationals, said the hold-up took place around 8:00 a.m., several minutes after the victims arrived at the Quadra 4X4 Station in Sta. Juliana village.
He said the armed Aeta ordered the three foreigners and their Filipino guide to take their backpacks off and lay down on the ground.
The victims said the Aeta pointed his gun at Salazar and pulled the trigger but the gun did not go off. This gave the victims the opportunity to flee. When they were about 100 meters away from the still unidentified suspect, they saw him fired his gun, prompting them to continue running until they met another group of tourists.
Local policemen, accompanied by Air Force personnel and village officials, tried to pursue the suspect but failed to locate and arrest him.
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Security for Pinatubo explorers
It is a big shame on the part of tourism and local authorities as three Britons were reportedly help-up last Sunday by an Aeta on their way to Mt. Pinatubo. Many foreigners and local tourists will now be having second thoughts on conquering this famous volcano primarily due to security reasons.
This incident will definitely be a big blow on our local tourism industry. What transpired simply indicates that government has no security measures or plans on how to assure the safety of tourists trailing Mt. Pinatubo.
Here is the problem�the government is more concerned on promoting tourism undertakings, like the Pinatubo tour, but obviously it does not have lucid plans as to the security of travelers. First and foremost, tourists consider their safety above their curiosity to see wonders of nature.
Many innocent Aetas will eventually be affected by the criminal act perpetrated by one of their peers in the Pinatubo area. Anticipate tourists to distance themselves from Aetas for fear of experiencing robbery nightmare.
The government must do something to prevent the occurrence of similar incidents in the future for it to erase the stigma that it is relatively unsafe to travel to the Philippines. Mt. Pinatubo is fast shaping up as one of the favorite eco-tourism sites in the region. Let us put security measures to make sure that tourists will enjoy its beauty without getting the risk of losing their precious belongings or jeopardizing their personal safety.
SOURCE: Central Luzon Daily
posted by JC on 2011-01-14
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