• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More than a week after it was stolen from a private museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, the 88-year-old painting of national artist Fernando Amorsolo was recovered by operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Quezon City on Thursday, July 11.
During an entrapment operation, members of the NBI-Special Task Force (STF) arrested two suspects who attempted to sell the stolen artwork.
In a statement, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said that they received information that a certain “Atty. Ching” offered the 1936 “Mango Harvesters” painting for sale at P3.5 million.
They immediately conducted an entrapment along the Tomas Morato area, where the two suspects identified as Ritz Chona Ching and Donecio Somaylo delivered the stolen painting as instructed by “Atty. Ching”.
Upon confirmation that they brought the stolen painting, the two suspects were arrested for possession and selling stolen property in violation of Presidential Decree 1612 otherwise known as the Anti-Fencing Law, Santiago said.
The suspects were presented for inquest proceedings before the Department of Justice on July 12 (Friday).
The Amorsolo painting was stolen on July 3 from the museum of the Hofilena family by two suspects, who joined a group of six persons during a tour and left the museum with the painting inside a bag, the police said.
After the painting was recovered, the NBI on Friday brought it to the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), where it was authenticated to be the real one.
The 80-year-old masterpiece is said to be worth P10 million.
“The painting is about our heritage. Its shows how early life was in the Philippines. Amorsolo was the first to paint about every day activities of Filipinos,” NMP Director General Jeremey Barnes said in a statement.
The NBI is coordinating with the Hofileña family, which owns the painting, to wrap up their investigation. | GB
