Security guard surrenders after warrant was issued for ignoring court summons

CEBU, Philippines - A security guard surrendered yesterday before the Regional Trial Court after a bench warrant was issued against him for his failure to appear in court to testify on the robbery incident at the La Nueva Supermarket in 2007.

RTC Branch 5 Judge Douglas Marigomen ordered the arrest of Elmer Ian Iligan for ignoring court summons. Iligan was accompanied by Chief Inspector Michael Anthony Bastes, Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) chief of the Mandaue City Police Office, when he surrendered yesterday.

Marigomen immediately lifted the warrant after Iligan’s surrender but warned that he would be arrested for contempt of court if fails to appear in the next scheduled hearing on October 11, 2012.

Two other witnesses, Medard Rama and Nestor Impiales, remained subject of a bench warrant. Iligan promised the court to appear in the next hearing.

Iligan said he did not appear in the previous hearings because he did not receive any notice from the court. According to him, he is willing to testify to give justice to his fellow security guard who died during a shootout with the robbers on August 13, 2007.

Iligan recalled being stationed at the entrance of La Nueva Supermart located at the corner of Magallanes and P. Burgos St. in San Roque when an armored vehicle collecting money from the store was robbed by the group of Casimero Garcia, Cresencio Reguya and Danilo Flores.

The shootout resulted in the death of Procoro Esguera while Rama was injured. The robbers carted away P2,291,753 from the possession of roving teller Grace Maglangit. — (FREEMAN)