Househelp steals P1M in jewelry

CEBU, Philippines -  A house helper was arrested after allegedly carting away her employer’s jewelry worth P1 million in a residence in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.

Niña Limana Patalinghug, 20, and a resident of Barangay Banilad, Cebu City was arrested after her employer, lawyer Jercel Maria Gimenez Mercado-Gephart, reported to the police that she was missing some pieces of her jewelry.

According to Police Officer 2 Philip Taborada, investigator of the Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office, Gephart reported to their office that she lost seven expensive jewelry, including five different gold rings worth P700,000, one white gold ring worth P300, 000 and a gold chain necklace worth P50,000.

Taborada added that Patalinghug had allegedly taken some of Gephart’s jewelry before but it was only recently that Gephart noticed that her jewelry, which were heirlooms from her parents, were lost.

The police immediately conducted a hot pursuit operation against Patalinghug who was later arrested in Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion after her whereabouts were provided by her father, who also works as a gardener for Gephart.

Police only recovered four pieces of jewelry from Patalinghug since two were reportedly pawned and the other one was given to one of her friends which she said are her ‘clan mates’.

Patalinghug, who admitted to stealing the jewelry, said she and her ‘clan mates’ pawned the gold chain necklace and the gold ring in a pawnshop in Colon, Cebu City.

She said they were able to pawn the two items for P100,000.

On the other hand, the two persons whom Patalinghug identified as her ‘clan mates’ said that they did not know that the items given by Patalinghug were stolen since Patalinghug told them the jewelry were given to her by her sister who works abroad.

Patalinghug is currently detained at the Cebu City Police Office detention cell while waiting for formal charges to be filed against her.

Meanwhile, a man who was accused of killing a former member of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) was arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 in Minglanilla town Wednesday evening.

Wilfredo Jumawan, 72, of Misamis Occidental, was arrested in the house of his daughter in Barangay Pakigne.

The operatives were armed with an arrest warrant for murder issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Bernadette Paredes-Encenareal of Branch 36 in Calamba, Misamis Occidental.

Jumawan was accused of killing Flacsido Yamuta in Mindanao in 2009. He reportedly gunned down the victim using a .357 revolver, said Inspector Delfin Bontuyan, the arresting officer.

Bontuyan added that Jumawan admitted to killing the victim.

“Salbahis man gud tong tawhana sir,” Bontuyan quoted Jumawan as saying.

Jumawan is listed as the number 22 wanted person in Misamis. CIDG-7 will still have to check if Jumawan has a bounty on his head as recommended by the office of Department of Interior and Local Government.

CIDG-7 has also stressed that it will go after wanted persons to show that no one is above the law.

“Ang mensahe ani nga bisan sa taas nga panahon sila magtago tago, moabot gihapon ang panahon nga madakpan sila,” Bontuyan said. — Adabel M. Borinaga, USJ-R MassComm Intern and Ria Mae Y. Booc/ATO (FREEMAN)