Brownout stalls filing of charges vs. Joavan

CEBU, Philippines - The filing of charges against Joavan Fernandez was stalled yesterday afternoon, not by any legal impediment, but by the power outage.

Vincent Joe Castrodes, the latest victim of the adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, filed a complaint before the Talisay City Prosecutor’s Office.

Castrodes, 28 years old and a resident of F. Llamas, Cebu City, accused Joavan of pointing a gun at him during a traffic altercation last Friday outside Vista Grande Subdivision in barangay Bulacao, Talisay City.

“I was scared and shocked during that time since he pointed his gun towards me and I saw that he was very angry at me,” said Castrodes, in his affidavit sworn in before prosecutor Benjo Luther Macion.

In an interview shortly after the inquest proceeding conducted by Macion, Castrodes said not like the other victims of Joavan, he is bent on proceeding with the case “in the name of justice.”

Castrodes is a registered nurse, who comes from a family that owns a chain of pizza stores.

His father Rene, in a separate interview, also vowed to support his son’s cause, despite the fact that he is fighting against the son of a city mayor.

Macion, the inquest prosecutor, said they are set to charge Joavan with grave threats, illegal possession of firearms and violation of BP 881 (Commission on Elections gun ban).

The violation on Comelec gun ban case was supported by joint affidavits of PO3 Arnold Damasco, PO2 Roy Lofranco and PO1 Rusty Pelayo, who were members of the search team that checked the suspect’s sports utility vehicle late Saturday night.

The grave threats charge as alleged by Castrodes was corroborated by SPO1 Ricardo Balbutin, SPO1 Ciraco Luab and PO1 Pelayo. It will be filed before the Municipal Trial Court in Cities, while the two cases will be elevated to the regional trial court in Cebu City.

A government model Colt .45 caliber pistol, which Joavan allegedly used to point to Castrodes, was found during the search of his vehicle on the strength of a warrant issued by RTC branch 10 judge Soliver Peras.

Also found inside the red Isuzu Trooper Big Horn with plate number YEZ 460 were 13 pieces of live ammunition.

The said SUV was held by the police when no gun was found in Joavan’s possession when he was brought to the police station.

The vehicle was left inside a repair shop in barangay Lawaan III where the suspect went to after he allegedly pointed a gun at castrodes.

Joavan has already been implicated in a number of gun toting incidents, but has not been charged. He is not also a licensed gun owner.

Two of the three cases, however, allow Joavan to post bail.

Macion said the defendant will need P160,000 for his bail — P80,000 for the illegal possession of firearms case and another P80,000 for the violation of the Comelec gun ban case, which he reportedly committed because it was still in effect last Friday.

Joavan, in yesterday’s inquest proceedings, waived his right to file his counter affidavit to Castrodes’ allegations, which would mean the cases would then be elevated to the courts thereafter, and he would then be transferred to Maghaway Detention and Rehabilitation Center.

But since the cases are bailable, Mancion said, the mayor’s son might not have to go to the city jail as he could easily post bail already shortly after the cases would be filed.

   But the power outage, which started at past 2 p.m. stalled the drafting of the cases’ information, thereby forcing Joavan to spend another night at the stockade of the city police. —/NLQ (FREEMAN NEWS)