LBP Bogo rob suspect Joel Sumabong

The lawyer of alleged robbery gang leader Joel Sumabong wants to make his client a state witness against the people he tagged as the masterminds behind several murders in Bogo including the robbery of the Land Bank of the Philippines branch in that northern town two years ago.

Lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo also vowed to question why there was a warrant of arrest for murder against Sumabong when they were not aware of the existence of such case.

Villagonzalo said they have not received any document or any communication from the court pertaining to the murder case that Sumabong is facing before the Regional Trial Court in Bogo.

The warrant of arrest for murder issued by RTC judge Antonio Marigumen was the basis of the National Bureau of Investigation operatives to arrest Sumabong and his underling, Efren Beladas, at sitio Ibo barangay San Andres, San Rafael town in Iloilo Thursday dawn.

Sumabong and Beladas were arrested by the joint NBI operatives from Cebu and the San Rafael police led by its police chief Allan Babayen-on.

Villagonzalo, who was at the NBI office yesterday to assist his client during the presentation to the media, said that he is not aware of any basis to file a murder case against Sumabong.

According to the lawyer, if the basis was the admission of Sumabong before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in February last year, then his client should not be the primary accused, but a witness.

Villagonzalo said that his client will be applying as a state witness before the Department of Justice. He said that another legal option that he is looking into is to file a petition for review of the murder case in order that the alleged masterminds will be included in the charge.

Another option is to file a petition before the Supreme Court for a change of venue because of security reasons.

Villagonzalo earlier succeeded in convincing the Supreme Court to transfer the venue of the trial of the Land Bank robbery case from Bogo to Cebu City.

The lawyer however said that the most immediate step that he is taking is to ask the court that his client will not be detained in Bogo. Villagonzalo will ask that Sumabong will be detained at the NBI stockade.

Sumabong, who is out on bail for the robbery case, made an extra-judicial confession at the CIDG in February last year admitting his participation in at least six murders in Bogo allegedly upon orders of Mayor Celestino "Tining" Martinez III, Restituto Yee and brothers Nestor, Mario and Felix Cuerda.

Among those they allegedly killed were Joenes Burlaos and Alberto Tepait sometime in June 2004 and May 2005, respectively.

Their other alleged victims were Rey Picot, Gil Pagatpat, Crisanto Puebla and Sozimo Tillor.

Martinez has already been exonerated by the CIDG, who first investigated the case, for lack of evidence.

In an interview with The Freeman at the NBI detention cell, Sumabong reaffirmed his extra-judicial confession before the CIDG. He described his plight as very disappointing because instead of getting a pat on his back for trying to help the government go after the masterminds, he was the one being nailed.

"Sakit kaayo alang nako," Sumabong said.

Although, he admitted participating the Land Bank robbery in August 2005, but he said his participation was limited only as a look out.

Sumabong said that it is not true that he was the gang leader.

He named a certain Boy Tagalog who was the alleged leader and was the one who went inside the bank.

Sumabong likewise denied any involvement in the People's Multi-Purpose Cooperative robbery in barangay Talamban recently. Sumabong said he was already in San Rafael, Iloilo since July.

Theft and Robbery Section chief Alexis Relado earlier said that witnesses identified Sumabong and Beladas from the pictures that were shown by the policemen.

Both suspects are from Barangay Malingin, Bogo, although Beladas' parents are in San Rafael, Iloilo.

Relado yesterday said that they will check the status of the robbery case that has been filed against the two suspects here in Cebu City so they could immediately secure a copy of a second warrant of arrest.

The TRS chief is worried that Beladas might be able to post bail and hopes that the second warrant of arrest would be out since it would mean an additional bond of P100,000.

Relado said that Sumabong will not be a problem to them because he could no longer get out of jail as his murder case is non-bailable.- with Flor Z. Perolina