PALOMPON, LEYTE – A group of foreigners, who were conducting a medical mission in the Municipality of Palompon, Leyte, lost their cash to thieves amounting to PHP64,000.00 and 70 Euros from their rooms in a lodge in the said town, which allegedly happened between November 1 and 3, 2024.
Based on a report from the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) based in Palo, Leyte, the victims found out that said cash was lost at around 3:00 P.M. on November 3 and reported the incident to authorities in the evening of November 4. The victims were identified by aliases for security reasons who include six foreign nationals.
The said foreign nationals are a Swedish medical missionary and a dentist identified as “Joe,” 54 from Stockholm, Sweden, together with other Swedish nationals known as “Nick,” “Elsa,” “Karen,” and “Ken,” and an Indian national named “Jen.” The said money was discovered missing from their individual rooms on November 3, which included PHP20,000.00 from “Joe,” PHP6,000.00 from “Karen,” PHP20,000.00 from “Elsa,” PHP3,000.00 from “Ken,” PHP5,000.00 from “Jen,” and PHP10,000.00 and 70 Euros from “Nick.” Accordingly, the said foreign missionaries arrived in Palompon on October 28, 2024 to conduct outreach programs in the local barangays of said municipality. Based on the police report of the Palompon MPS, “Joe” accordingly said that their group had left their belongings unattended in their respective rooms and had left their room keys at the lodge’s front desk while they were out to carry out their medical mission. The Palompon police are currently reviewing footage of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras from the said lodge. By Gwen Maurillo (EV Mail November 04-10, 2024 issue)
