Teener accused of killing, robbing man flees center

A 17-YEAR-OLD boy accused with three adults of stabbing to death a worker from the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) bolted from the custody of the Lapu-Lapu City Social
Welfare Office (CSWO) a day before police could file the criminal complaint.

Lapu-Lapu Police operations head Insp. Jacinto Mandal and his team went to fetch the boy from CSWO last Monday for the inquest at the fiscal’s office, but the boy was already gone. The social welfare office is next to the City Hall building and the police office.

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“Sa akong sabot, giguba kuno ang bintana (He apparently escaped through the window after destroying it),” he said, without specifying which part of the building the boy was detained.

Workers of the office suspect the boy escaped Sunday night.

Sun.Star Cebu tried to reach CSWO Chief Ermelita Degamo, but he was in a meeting with Mayor Paz Radaza and other department heads.

Homicide with robbery was the case police filed yesterday against the boy and his
three adult companions for the killing of Arjie Panuncial, 28, last Wednesday.

Only he and Marlon Quilantang, 23, were arrested Saturday. Still at large are Quirwen Amoin, 22, and unidentified companion.

The boy was turned over the following day to CSWO for custody, as mandated by the new law protecting the rights of minors in conflict with the law.

Mandal said people assigned to guard the boy can be held liable for evasion through negligence, which is punishable under the Revised Penal Code, but they would rather have the matter handled administratively by the CSWO head.

“I think the head of the office will conduct her own investigation,” he said.

Panuncial was drinking with two co-workers. From a video karaoke in Barangay Basak, they decided to take a stroll. They encountered a group of women accompanied by four alleged male pimps, who included the boy.

They failed to agree on each woman’s price. Panuncial and his group walked back to the karaoke joint, but they were attacked by the four pimps.

A homicide investigation report said the suspects ganged up on Panuncial until he fell to the ground, while his two friends fled.

Mandal said his office had finished preparing affidavits of witnesses and all the annexes. They went to the CSWO at 3 p.m. to fetch the boy, only to be told the boy was missing.

Mandal said they are back to square one, and will have to go after the boy and his two other cohorts.