Cops file raps vs. 3 alleged brains

THE Cebu City Police Office filed charges against three of six people arrested for their alleged involvement in a botched robbery Monday morning of a pawnshop in barangay Pardo, Cebu City.

The police filed a case for robbery only against the alleged masterminds, but not the three men, who allegedly were the ones, who executed the plan.

Charged were Alex Ibaño, his mother Allen and Caniboy Temple. They were tagged by Rolex Javoc and brothers Bernard and Alvin Caramihan, as the masterminds behind the robbery of the Exquisite Pawnshop and Jewelry branch in Pardo.

The Caramihan brothers and Javoc, who are all from Calatrava, Negros Oriental, executed extra-judicial confessions.

In the presence of their lawyer Aquilino Felicitas, the three men admitted to Theft and Robbery Section Chief Alexis Relado and PO3 Celso Seville Jr. their participation in the robbery and named the alleged masterminds.

In their confession the three arrested suspects admitted that at 7 a.m. last Monday they were at barangay Pardo, Cebu City as they were waiting for the pawnshop to be opened and implement their pan to rob the establishment.

They said that they saw security guard Dioscoro Madraga already in uniform, but still without his service firearm, receive the key from a woman and opened the roll-up doors.

At that point, Javoc said, he approached Madraga and pointed a gun at the guard while Alvin Caramihan poked his gun at Chuvelyn Jumao-as, the appraiser. The two then ordered the pawnshop employees to get inside. It was Bernard Caramihan, who shut the roll-up door.

Bernard also admitted to have taken the small safe and tried to flee when he noticed a person pointing a handgun at him.

His companions, who saw what happened used Jumao-as as human shield and eventually let go of her a few meters away before running towards the hills of Pardo to elude the responding policemen.

Javoc said that he had no second thoughts about giving himself up when he sensed that the cops were about to get him. The Caramihan brothers were arrested later in the afternoon while buying a pair of slippers from a store in nearby barangay Quiot.

In their confession, the three men implicated Alex, 37, married and his mother, Allen both of Jaclupan, Talisay City and their friend Temple as the ones who planned the heist.

They also said that aside from robbing the pawnshop yesterday, they also had a plan to rob an unidentified person who was also about to withdraw cash at an automated teller machine of Landbank.

Javoc said that he came to Cebu in the first week of April and stayed with his wife’s sister in barangay Jaclupan, Talisay City.

He alleged that Allen Ibaño befriended him several days after his arrival as she later called him to come to their house located to the house were he stayed and has talked about their plans of robbing the Exquisite pawnshop.

It was allegedly Alex, who instructed Javoc to look for two other persons, who he can trust so he sent a text message to the Caramihan brothers to come to Cebu.

A few days after the brothers have arrived here in Cebu, Alex and his mother called them up to come to their house to talk about the planned robbery and after that they claimed to have been given two handguns to be used.

In their plan, Alex will first bring them to Exquisite on board his vehicle and after the execution of the robbery they will flee by taking a PUJ, but would disembark a few meters away and would board a PUJ bound for Talisay City and then head to Jaclupan.

TRS deputy chief Insp. Michael Bastes said, he learned from the Dumaguete City Police that Temple was also allegedly involved in a shootout with police officers during a pawnshop robbery in 2003.

In fact a scar in his chin is reportedly proof that he was involved in the incident that resulted to death of PO1 Badelles. However, no case was filed against Temple for lack of witnesses.

Denial

Alex Ibaño has vehemently denied the accusations against him and vowed to clear his name and that of his mother.

He said that he does not even know the three people accusing him of being the mastermind.

Alex, who works as a college teacher, also suspects politics to be behind the accusations due to his alleged association with a politician from the place even if he is already residing with his wife in barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City. He said that he still often came to Talisay City to visit his mother.

He said that although he doesn’t know the suspects personally, he heard that they were temporarily staying in his friend’s house.

"Naa man gud koy gitabngan ug trabaho, nga maoy gi-abtan nianang mga bataa, gitabangan nako, unya naay kahiubos og giapil akong pangan kay wa dyuy ko kakita anang mga bataa sukad. Mao pa gyud tong higayona nga ako sila nakita, ug bisan pila pa katawo atong himoong signatory makabarug gyud nga limpyo ta ug wa ta mag-apil-apil sa dautan," Ibano said.

He said that his lawyer would also question the manner of his arrest, which he said traumatized his nephews and other people in the area.

Meanwhile, acting Cebu City Police director Patrocinio Comendador has congratulated all the responding policemen coming from the Pardo Police station, Mobile Patrol Group, SWAT, and TRS plus the civilians involved for the immediate arrests of the robbery suspects.

He said that will recommend rewards and commendations.

A posthumus award will also be given to PO1 Herminio Caylan, who along with three others, was killed when fraternity members shot it out in a benefit dance in barangay Basak, Mandaue City last Sunday dawn.

Caylan who is a policeman assigned at the RMG-7 and lived near the place where the incident happened and was there to help out even if he was of duty.

He was hit on his right ear which exited on his left shoulder. Gunshot wounds were also found in his buttocks and left foot.

Aside from an award Chief Supt. Alarcio also said that the PRO-7 will also work out for the immediate release of all the benefits intended for slain policeman.