THREE armed men fled with P8 million of the government’s cash-for-work program in Tacloban City.

The robbers held up two employees of the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) who were on their way to work in Tacloban City, Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., spokesman of the Philippine National Police, said on Monday.

Social Secretary Corazon Soliman said she will send her representative to “double-check” and conduct a parallel inquiry into the incident.

Citing a sketchy report from the Tacloban City Police, Cruz said the robbery-holdup happened at about 8:25 a.m., along the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Caibaan. He said the victims were Vilma Aguilar and Costino Goco.

Soliman said the incident was unfortunate because what was actually robbed was the thousands of poor families who were supposed to be the beneficiaries of the money.

She explained that the cash-for-work program is intended for families who are victims of calamity situations such as typhoon.

Soliman said she has no information if the two employees just came from a bank when the incident took place.

“I have no information yet if they came from the bank. But I’m quite sure one of them is from the cash division of our regional office,” she said.