NBI recovers stolen firearms

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested a janitor working at the Palace of Justice after he confessed, during tactical interrogation, of breaking into the evidence room of the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor's Office to steal some pieces of evidence.

Bryant Baguio, 24, an employee of Excellent Janitorial Services, which is under contract with the Supreme Court to provide janitorial services at the Marcelo Fernan Hall of Justice, led the NBI investigators to where he hid the pieces of evidence yesterday afternoon.

Baguio, a native of barangay Zamora, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, kept most of his loot under a pile of scrap at the parking area at the back of the Palace of Justice.

Among the pieces of evidence recovered hidden under the pile of scrap were three .357 magnum revolvers, two .38 revolvers, three fragmentation grenades, several ammunition for .357 and .38 revolvers and several sachets of shampoo. Also recovered was a bolo that he used to pry the door open.

A follow-up operation conducted by the NBI investigating team headed by regional director Medardo de Lemos with Supervising Agents Rennan Oliva and Special Investigator Jedidah Hife in barangay Ward II, Minglanilla also led to the recovery of a cal. 45 pistol and a pair of shoes used by the suspect when he broke into the evidence room last Friday.

Oliva and Hife subjected Baguio and the employees of the provincial prosecutor's office to questioning as a normal procedure in the crime investigation. However, the two experienced investigators started to zero-in on Baguio after one of the security guards of the Palace of Justice saw him in the building at dawn last Friday.

After few hours of interrogation Baguio started to own up the crime and led the investigators to where he hid the stuff he stole.

Baguio, who was found positive of shabu use during the drug test, said that he was tempted to steal those things because of financial problems.

According to him, he is indebted of at least P2,000 to a sari-sari store in Minglanilla, where he is temporarily residing with his brother.

Baguio added that he also wanted to give money to his father in Negros Oriental to buy fertilizer for their farm.

The remorseful Baguio told reporters that his salary as janitor is not enough for him as he is only receiving P2,400 a month.

Baguio said he was able to gain entry at the evidence room because he locked himself inside the abandoned comfort room inside the administrative office in the afternoon of Thursday.

Baguio said when the employees already went home, he immediately broke into the evidence room by passing through the ceiling.

He said, he was able to know that there were firearms kept in there, because he heard it from the employees.

Baguio is familiar with the set up inside the prosecutor's office because he is usually called to clean the office and pick up the garbage.

Provincial Prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba said she did not expect Baguio to do it because she already learned to trust him.

Petralba, who was very happy about the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of the evidence, however could not determine yet if there are other pieces of evidence missing because they have yet to finish their inventory.

Baguio is currently detained at the NBI detention cell and is expected to be charged with robbery today before the Cebu City Prosecutor's Office.

Regional State Prosecutor Antonio Arellano welcomed the immediate solution of the case, but could not answer whether the officials of the provincial prosecutor's office will have any administrative liability over the incident.

Arellano said he is still waiting for the official investigation report of the NBI before he could make any comment on the possible administrative liability of the official concerns at the provincial prosecutor's office.