Friday, July 18, 2008
La Nueva suspect says he got P120T as share of loot
DANILO Flores, who confessed to taking part in the La Nueva Supermart robbery last August, yesterday said he got P120,000 as his share of the P2-million loot.
Police brought Flores to Regional Trial Court Branch 5 Judge Douglas Arturo C. Marigomen at 9 a.m. yesterday to return the warrant of arrest for robbery with homicide issued against him.
Marigomen then issued a commitment order for Flores to be jailed at the Cebu City Jail. A robbery with homicide case is non-bailable.
Flores said yesterday that Roy Fernandez, their gang leader, gave him P120,000 cash as his share of the La Nueva robbery. Flores is a former security guard of La Nueva.
Apart from the La Nueva heist, Flores said he also participated in the robbery of a plastics factory in Balintawak, Quezon City.
Shootout
He said the group ran away with P400,000. He got a cut of P25,000.
Flores, Fernandez and Pascual Mata were arrested in Pasay City last July 5 after engaging in a shootout with police.
They were allegedly about to stage a robbery when police operatives caught up with them. Albert Almedilla, one of the members of the robbery group, died in the shootout.
Flores, escorted by a team of police operatives from the National Capital Regional Police Office, arrived in Cebu City Wednesday night.
In an interview with reporters, Flores said he joined the group in 2006.
He said La Nueva was actually not the original target of the group but the National Food Authority (NFA) regional office in Banilad, Cebu City.
He said the group conducted surveillance on the NFA 7 office thrice but put off the plan in January 2007 after learning that the teller, whom the group had been monitoring, no longer carried a large amount of money.
Beat patrol
He said the group spent P800,000 in the surveillance and casing on NFA because the vehicles that would have been used for the planned robbery were already shipped to Cebu from Manila.
Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador said he believes that the deployment of beat patrol in the Banilad area is also one of the deterrents that prevented Fernandez’s group from pulling off the heist.
Because of the large amount of money spent by the group, Flores said, Fernandez decided to target La Nueva, asking the former security guard to be the guide.
He said he was forced to follow Fernandez’s order because the latter threatened to kill his family.
Flores said the group made three attempts to rob the establishment but failed because of the presence of police detailed in the nearby Commission on Elections Office (Comelec) office. The office was processing the registration of voters in preparation for the barangay elections.
In the group’s fourth attempt last Aug. 13, they succeeded in robbing the Metrobank teller who had just picked up the cash from La Nueva.
He identified Fernandez, Almedilla, one Renante Baldicantos, himself and three other accomplices as the ones who carried out the robbery.
They used two motorcycles, one Lite Ace van and a Starex van in carrying out the crime.
When asked if Casimero “Meloy” Garcia and Cresencio “Brutz” Reguya, who were also linked to case, participated in the robbery, Flores said he did not know them since he was still new in the group.
Flores, however, recalled hearing Fernandez talk about taking in other members of the group.
Flores said he was the one who shot security guard Medard Rama with a .45 pistol.
After the robbery, members of the group separated ways. He stayed in a hotel in Cabancalan, Mandaue City after Fernandez gave him his share of the loot.
He went to Oriental Negros to hide until he received a call from Fernandez telling him to head to Manila.
Flores stayed in Anguno, Rizal.
Last Dec. 8, he said, he joined the group in robbing a plastics factory. (JST)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 18, 2008 issue)
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