Five Chinese men entered the VIP section of a hot pot restaurant in Makati on Thursday night, February 27, 2020.

Only three of the men emerged after a few minutes, CCTV cameras showed. They were running with all their might, despite the attempts of a woman to prevent them from escaping.

But these were all in vain. The men ran as fast as they could, leaving a crime scene behind.

The woman was the wife of Yi Jian Tao, the Chinese national who was killed on the spot. The men took his money worth P345,000. His companion, Zheng Kai, also sustained gunshot wounds but survived. Zheng is presently in the hospital.

It was a short-lived escape for the suspects. In a follow-up operation, the Makati PNP caught up with two of the suspects including Yang Chau Wen, another Chinese tourist who has been in the Philippines for two months already.

Yang Chau was the lead runner in the CCTV footage. Inside his bag, the police confiscated three handguns, live ammunition and the blood-stained money. He said he received the promise of easy money to join the heist.

Also arrested is a man bearing an identification card from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The police have yet to get a statement from him. He is recovering in the hospital after suffering wounds in his hands.

The third suspect managed to evade the authorities and remains at large.

The police are still investigating why they are here, why they are exchanging an exorbitant amount of money and what their business is in the Philippines.

But it seems clear that with their deep pockets and capability to carry firearms, they have no regard for our laws. Have we allowed our country to be a free-for-all place for foreign outlaws?

[Entry 289, The SubSelfie Blog]

About the Author:

Bam Alegre is the founder of SubSelfie.com and writes from time to time as a guest contributor. He is a Senior News Correspondent for GMA News (2012) and part of the team that won GMA News the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for the news coverage of super typhoon Yolanda (2013). Previously, he worked behind the scenes as a Segment Producer for State of the Nation with Jessica Soho and 24 Oras (2009-2012). BA Broadcast Communication 2007, UP Diliman. Read more of his articles here.