Lawmaker loses valuables to car thieves at SM mall

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A NEOPHYTE lawmaker representing the Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) party-list fell prey to thieves after her car was ransacked by still unidentified suspects at the parking building of the SM Centerpoint in Sta. Mesa Manila last Monday afternoon.

The culprits smashed the rear windows of Rep. Rowena “Niña” Taduran’s sports utility vehicle and stole valuables worth a total of P240,000, including a laptop issued by the House of Representatives, a mobile phone and jewelry.

Taduran said parking establishments should be liable for the losses and damage to vehicles inside their guarded premises.

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“We pay exorbitant fees for parking and yet these establishments can’t provide the assurance that our vehicles will be safe from theft and damage,” she said.

The party-list lawmaker is planning to file a resolution to investigate thefts in guarded parking buildings and lots, which will eventually be consolidated into a bill.

Taduran’s fellow ACTS-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap slammed the SM Centerpoint management for failing to prevent the incident and bewailed the fact that the mall does not even have a CCTV in the parking area.

“We are dismayed that such incident remains rampant but we’re more angered at the SM Centerpoint management for its clear negligence. For a business establishment that probably earns millions daily, it’s unacceptable that it does not have a CCTV in the parking area and there were no security guards roving in the area to ensure the safety of the vehicles there,” he said.

Yap said the mall’s management should be held liable for such incidents because the current practice absolves them of any liability.

“This is a flawed policy that is anti-consumer and self-serving. With such huge profits, you can’t even invest in the security of consumers who are also paying to use your parking spaces?” he said.

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