Cops say they have strong case vs. suspects in botched jewelry robbery

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Police Office said that even if the suspected robber accused of robbing a jewelry dealer retracts his confessions, the case will nevertheless still stand.

CCPO director Patrocinio Comendador said that with the “many evidences” they have against those who are principally involved in last Tuesday’s heist, they are confident that that they have a strong case.

Comendador, however, said that while the police may have built a strong case and established the probable cause of the incident, its approval or dismissal still lies in the hands of the prosecutor who allegedly has another process of evaluating the case filed.

As reported, Frederick Ybañez, one of the four suspects arrested, confessed Jennifer Enriquez, the client of the victim Jennifer dela Cerna, and lawyer Louie Arma, were directly involved in the planning and execution of the robbery.

Roy Quimada, the alleged leader of a Mindanao-based robbery group, and a certain Jun-Jun Gumanay who were able to elude arrest were also involved in the said robbery. They are now at large but are subjects of the robbery charge filed by the police before the court.

Ybañez also confessed his involvement in the several major robbery incidents in the city in the past months with Quimada allegedly supervising them.

Comendador said that if ever Ybañez withdraws all he has confessed to the police when they reach the court, their case will still be strong.

He said that there are other witnesses who can testify against Enriquez, Quimada, Gumanay, and Arma before the court. These evidences, he said, interlock or corroborate with the statements that were alleged by Ybañez.

The CCPO Director also said that the cellular phones owned by Ybañez and Enriquez are now in their custody and can be used as evidence before the court.

Comendador also revealed that this is not the first time that the name of Arma cropped up in incidents like these but the circumstances of the incident he was allegedly involved before is not substantiated.

Arma, lawyer and friend of Quimada, in an interview over radio station dySS, denied his involvement in the incident as he was allegedly in Mandaue City when the heist was pulled off.

Arma said he is only the lawyer of Quimada, the alleged leader of the robbery gang.

He also alleged that during the robbery at Foodasavers Mart last March, he and Quimada were drinking at the Waterfront Cebu Hotel and Casino in barangay Lahug.

Eight people have been charged with robbery over the botched P6.2 million heist last Tuesday.

Charges of robbery were filed against Noel “Jack-Jack” Salig Davis of Davao City, Kirby Abanilla of Pasil, Ybañez of Ozamiz City and Jeromy Polistico of Misamis Occidental. The four were arrested after they tried to flee with the jewelry taken from Dela Cerna.

Also charged are Gumanay, who has been tagged as the fifth member of the group, who escaped on a motorcycle and Enriquez, who dealt with the jewelry dealer and was the one who returned the items to her shortly before the heist, was also charged. 

Charges have also been filed against Arma, who was tagged by the suspects as one of those who hatched the plan.

The robbery charges are expected to be forwarded to the Regional Trial Court next week.

Assistant Cebu City Prosecutor Liceria Lofranco-Rabillas said that the information will be filed against the five suspects involved in the robbery.

Rabillas said that that the three suspects who earlier filed their waiver of detention Davis, Polistico and Abanilla now want to withdraw their waiver.

Rabillas explained that they will not be filing also their counter-affidavit. Charges will be forwarded in court once the withdrawal will be done.

Ybañez has refused to sign the waiver and made an admission that it was voluntary on his part. He claimed that Quimada called him up from Ozamiz City and instructed him to go to Cebu City because they were staging a robbery.

He and Davis arrived on July 20 and stayed at a pension house along Escario St., Cebu City.

After they checked in, Quimada instructed them to go to a coffee shop in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City where they met. With Quimada were Arma and Enriquez.

He said he knew Arma since he had met the lawyer several times he was with Quimada. He was also introduced to Enriquez and her husband Precioso.

Enriquez explained the plot to him and Davis: She would pretend to buy the jewelry from Dela Cerna. She also instructed the two to be familiar with Dela Cerna’s face because they were going to rob her.

To be familiar with her, everyone boarded a vehicle driven by Arma to a school along Osmeña Blvd.

“Before we could leave, Roy Quimada and Attorney Louie Arma told us to do properly the execution of the robbery in order to be successful in this operation,” Ybañez claimed in his affidavit. — Niña G. Sumacot, with Jose P. Sollano and Jasmin R. Uy   (THE FREEMAN)