MANOLO Fortich, Bukidnon — A routine cash deposit trip turned into a terrifying ordeal for bank employees after heavily armed gunmen ambushed their vehicle and escaped with P1.677 million along a national highway in Manolo Fortich on Wednesday morning, June 17.
According to a statement from the Bukidnon Provincial Police Office (BPPO), employees of South Bank Libona were transporting cash collections for deposit when they were intercepted by two unidentified suspects riding a Ford Ranger Wildtrak in Sitio Miranda, Barangay Damilag.
Police said the suspects got out of the pickup truck and immediately opened fire on the victims' Toyota Vios using short and long firearms, sparking a gunfight in broad daylight.
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The vehicle's driver and an armed security guard assigned to protect the cash fought back in an attempt to fend off the attackers.
However, the gunmen gained the upper hand after the security guard reportedly ran out of ammunition.
With no means left to resist, a female bank employee was ordered to surrender a bag containing P1.677 million in cash collections.
The suspects then fled aboard the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, leaving behind a bullet-riddled vehicle and shaken victims who narrowly escaped harm.
Responding police officers later found the Toyota Vios in a roadside canal with at least eight bullet holes in its windshield, highlighting the intensity of the attack.
Despite the exchange of gunfire, none of the victims were injured.
Authorities have launched a flash alarm and dragnet operation across Bukidnon and neighboring areas as investigators continue pursuing leads to identify and arrest the suspects.
