Witnesses ID Peralta in two city robberies

Witnesses yesterday identified Randel Peralta, who intelligence reports described as the so-called "planner" of the robbery group headed by Jemuel "Roldan Villanueva" Cardoza, as among those who have participated in at least two robberies this month.

The team of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch chief Paul Labra-out on a manhunt for Junard Saladaga, another suspected member of the robbery group-arrested instead Peralta in Barili Tuesday afternoon and seized from his pocket some shabu sniffing paraphernalia.

Labra told The Freeman that Peralta's role in the group is to look for targets and plan the heists. Yesterday morning, however, there were witnesses who pinpointed him as among those that carried out the robberies at the Cebu People's Development Cooperative and Western Union.

In the case of the Western Union robbery last October 15, a witness, upon seeing Peralta's photo published in The Freeman, yesterday went to the police confirming it was Peralta he saw driving the getaway motorcycle toward Ramos Street. This witness was having coffee nearby when the incident happened, said Labra.

Employees of the Cebu People's Development Cooperative also confirmed yesterday that it was Peralta who went to their establishment on Junquera Street, few minutes before the robbery took place last October 6.

They said Peralta first tried to deposit money but backed out shortly after. Labra theorized that Peralta might have gone there only to do a final check of the place before the robbery.

A charge for possession of shabu sniffing paraphernali was filed against Peralta while other cases were also prepared against him for his alleged participation in the two robberies.

However, Peralta denied to reporters he had anything to do with the robberies saying he worked only as a jeepney driver and then as a helper in a glass shop in Moalboal. But he admitted sniffing shabu and that the drug paraphernalia taken from his pocket belonged to him.

A native of Eastern Bobongan, Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur, Peralta initially said he only knew Saladaga and Rey Torres by name because they were neighbors there.

Peralta said it was not Saladaga who was at his house in barangay Gibuangan, Barili but Renato Hermosilla who spent the weekend there for the fiesta.

But Vice Control Section chief George Ylanan recounted Peralta's earlier statement to the police that Saladaga actually went to Barili after robbing East-West Bank. Peralta this time said he could not recall the date anymore because he was still high with shabu when he uttered that.

Peralta however could not explain why he has on his mobile phone the number of Labra, and merely said Hermosilla just sent it to him through a business card.

Despite his denial to the robbery, Peralta's phone inbox was found containing a message from Hermosilla on October 12, stating, "Ran, asa naka ron? Asa ta makabira para makauli ta og Ozamis (Ran, where are you now? Where can we strike so we could go home to Ozamis?)."

There was also a message from someone telling him to get stocks of shabu because only two big packs are left. For this, Peralta denied being a pusher but admitted being a user.

As this developed, operatives of the Theft and Robbery Section led by Sr/Insp. Ambrosio Ibones, who went to Dumaguete City last Tuesday, got the diskettes and some documents the robbers had taken from CEPEDECO.

A Dumaguete resident found these things at a vacant lot on Siliman Avenue Extension last October 12, then turned these over to the team of Ibones.

Ibones said the recovery of the documents from that place showed two possibilities: The group has contacts there, and that Dumaguete is part of their route to Mindanao. - Ryan P. Borinaga