The Silay police are filling theft charges against the two persons who stole the 88-year-old painting by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo from the Hofileña Museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, Lt. Col. Mark Anthony Darroca, Silay police chief, said Sunday, July 14.
The theft charges will be filed against a male suspect who has already been identified and a middle-aged female who will be tagged only as Jane Doe before the Silay Prosecutor’s Office soon, he said.
The two are still at-large. The male suspect from Iloilo has been identified and they also have leads on the female, Darroca said.
The initial address of the male suspect in Tondo, Manila, proved to be false, he said.
The two, who pretended to be tourists, stole the 1936 “Mango Harvesters” painting by Amorsolo on July 3, by placing it in a tote bag as shown in the CCTV footage provided by the Hofileña Museum.
The painting was transported by commercial plane to Metro Manila.
Darroca said the two suspects who stole the painting are different from those who were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation-Special Task Force (NBI-STF) for attempting to sell it in Quezon City on Friday, July 12.
The NBI-STF recovered the Amorsolo painting in an entrapment operation after they received information that a certain “Atty. Ching” was selling it for P3.5 million, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said.
On Friday they proceeded to the target area at Tomas Morato, Quezon City, and arrested Ritz Chona Castro Ching and Donecio Escobia Somaylo who delivered the painting for sale on instructions of “Atty. Ching”, Santiago said.
The two will face charges for violation of the Anti-Fencing Law.
Jeremy Barns, director general of the National Museum, pegged the painting’s market value at P8 million to P12 million.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Friday thanked the NBI and all those responsible for the recovery of the painting.
“This serves as a reminder for us to remain vigilant in protecting and ensuring the preservation of our cultural treasures”, he said.*