MANILA - The chief executive of the country’s premiere financial district on Sunday warned of a possible surge in criminal activities after a daytime robbery in a posh mall in his area, Makati City.

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, in a statement, suggested that authorities “should anticipate a possible surge in brazen and high-profile criminal activities because of the hard times, especially after typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.”

Heavily-armed robbers overpowered mall security guards and robbed a shop of high-end watches in Greenbelt 5 Sunday. The robbers were however interrupted by 2 security escorts of the mayor of neighboring Taguig City who then engaged them in a shootout.

A robber was killed in the shootout but the other robbers, estimated to be 10 more, were able to escape and a manhunt has been launched by police. A source said they were able to cart away an undetermined number of watches. A separate report said 2 of the getaway vehicles used have been recovered.

Binay said the brazenness of the recent incident “is alarming” as it occurred almost noontime and in one of the posh malls of the financial district.

Binay said the incident “highlights the importance of vigilance and preparedness.”

The Makati City mayor also decried the robbers’ use of police uniforms in the robbery.

The robbers, who were reportedly armed with M14 and M16 automatic rifles including a grenade launcher, wore police bomb squad uniforms.

“This is not the first time that criminals have used police and military uniforms in their operation. But so far the proper authorities have not taken steps to restrict their sale and their use,” said Binay.

Police were still investigating the incident and have not identified the suspects. The slain robber was also not yet identified.