As far as his selfies are concerned, the man suspected of stealing cellphones from YolandaPH volunteers in Villamor Air Base was just passing time while looking for the phone’s owner.
That, in a nutshell, is how “Arnel” explained himself to ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol yesterday.
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He partially covered his face with a towel during the on-cam interview because he claimed to fear for his life because of the backlash mounting online, after the incident was first reported by Vince Golangco on When in Manila and then went viral on social media.
Arnel claimed that he found the lost phone and was merely keeping it while looking for its owner.
So he took selfies (like below) instead? Objection!
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‘Arnel’ appealed to the owner if they could meet so he could personally explain himself.
Sought for comment, the owner of the phone, NJ Torres, said she isn’t buying the man’s tale. She pointed out that she, along with her fellow volunteers, had taken notice of the man lurking at the operations area. But with the surge of evacuees streaming at the area, the volunteers took care of them first.
Photos from ABS-CBN News and When in Manila
