Rob-Slay of altar boy, They did it for beer

CEBU, Philippines - With only the need for more beer as their reason for robbing, the suspects in the killing of a 14-year-old boy last Sunday could have been drinking if they managed to get more from their first victim.

Police said that the three, who were arrested the other day, were drinking with fellow members of the Bloods gang since Saturday night and were looking for victims to rob as they needed money for more beer.

The three suspects — Marvin Sanchez, 25, the alleged leader; Joypher Tatoy, 22, the gunman; and a 16-year-old boy, reportedly robbed a woman earlier Sunday, but only got P20 as the victim just opened her store.

The robbery took place in sitio Camsac, Forest Hills, barangay Guadalupe.

Carlo Mangitngit, the young victim, was shot then robbed of his cellular phone worth P500 in Limkakeng Subdivision in the same area.

Sr. Insp. Michael Anthony Bastes, Chief of Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office, said that after getting very little in the first robbery, the suspects were wanting for more.

The police officer said that the woman was robbed at around 7 a.m. Mangit-ngit, who was on an errand to buy vegetables, was shot at 8 a.m. while he was walking along with a 13-year-old companion and was encoding a text message on his phone.

Tatoy, who admitted that he shot the victim, alleged that he pointed a gun at Mangitngit when they demanded for his cellular phone, but he accidentally pulled the trigger because he was drunk.

The Nokia 3310 cellular phone taken from the victim was pawned by Sanchez to a relative for P200 and they used the money to buy beer.

Bastes said that yesterday morning, they received a report from a concerned citizen that the same suspects were the ones who stole a motorcycle in Mandaue City that week.

The police later proved the report negative after conducting an operation to verify it.

A case for robbery with homicide was filed yesterday against the suspects who are temporarily detained in Guadalupe Police Station.

A separate case for violating the Comelec Gun Ban was filed against Tatoy.

Meanwhile, Mangit-ngit’s body will be buried at the Calamba Cemetery on Saturday.

Formal Complaint

 The family of Mangitngit said that they can now sleep better after they have formally filed the complaint against their son’s killers.

Marieta Mangitngit, mother of the victim, said that though they are still in pain after their son’s death and that they could not bring him back anymore, they are feeling better since they know that the suspects cannot victimize other people anymore.

She said that they will be doing their best in order for the suspects to be in prison for a long time, possibly for a lifetime.

“Ipadayon gyud ni namo ang kaso bahala na. Dili lang gud kami ang nabiktima, daghan na unya di mi ganahan nga mapun-an pa.”

The three are residents of Sitio Gun Club-Banawa, barangay Guadalupe.

Another stabbing suspect, Jason Villarma,18, was also arrested along with the three after Villarma was positively identified by a witness as the companion of Sanchez in a separate incident where the two stabbed Fortunato Ibon, who is still in the hospital.

The arrest of the two in a follow-up operation led to the arrest and identification of the other suspects after the witness in the Mangit-ngit killing, who was with the victim during the killing identified Sanchez as one of the three robbers.

Arresting officers said they were able to arrest Tatoy in Dunggoan, Carcar City where he allegedly hid after the killing.

From Tatoy’s information, a caliber .38 snub nose revolver with seven live bullets was recovered in sitio Tambis-Banawa as well as an empty shell at the suspect’s residence.

Tatoy, in an interview with the media said that he was very sorry for what he did and he learned his lesson.

Prelate’s Plea

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal is asking legislators to consider revising Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

“I am aware of this problem, but I’m thinking of the evangelization that we are having in the Archdiocese and I call upon my brother priests to come up with a divine and human value for our youth”, said Cardinal Vidal.

He also stressed that when one of the priests of the Archdiocese was killed, it was also the young ones who committed the crime. — Niña Sumacotwith AJ de la Torre and Johanna Natavio/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)