Tuesday, August 19, 2008 Police deny ‘hiding’ report on Joavan
THE Talisay City Police Station denied yesterday accusations that an incident allegedly involving Joavan Fernandez last Friday was not recorded in the police blotter to keep it from the media.
PO2 Edwin Alvarado, the station’s desk officer, said they received a call from a representative of Petron gas station at 6:20 p.m., more than five hours after Joavan allegedly went there and threatened a pump boy again.
Joavan was reported to have threatened Edward dela Torre, 21, single, over cans of car freshener.
Dela Torre works at the Petron station in Barangay Lawaan I, which Joavan allegedly threatened to blow up last month.
The mayor’s adopted son reportedly got irked after dela Torre turned down his request for four cans of car freshener around 1 p.m. last Friday.
Police said that Joavan was aboard a car when he gassed up at the facility and ordered a car freshener, all charged to his credit account.
Instead of giving the car freshener, dela Torre referred the matter to his supervisor Rowena Emarino.
In turn, Emarino reportedly told dela Torre that the items were to be sold only to customers who paid cash.
When dela Torre informed Joavan about it, the young Fernandez reportedly said “Lain ra ba ko masuko, bisag duha lang!” (You won’t like it when I’m angry. Just give me two cans of car freshener!)
Out of fear, Emarino reportedly yielded to Joavan’s demand and gave him two cans.
According to the Talisay police, a team, led by Talisay City Police Station Chief Romeo Perigo, responded after a certain Elena called up the police about the incident.
PO2 Harrison Quiña-nola, a homicide investigator, also relayed the same “trouble alarm” report to the police station almost at the same time.
The responding police team advised the Petron personnel to lodge a complaint against Joavan but they reportedly preferred to refer the matter to the management.
Perigo also reportedly requested to talk to the gas station owner but Emarino told him that she did not have a contact number.
Radio reports said there was no detailed account about the incident, as only the phone calls of a certain Elena and PO2 Quiñanola were recorded in the blotter.
Also, the Talisay police station reportedly faxed its report about the “coercion incident” to the Cebu Provincial Police Office at 5:10 p.m. the next day.
Dela Torre was the same Petron attendant whom Joavan allegedly threatened last month. He allegedly told dela Torre he would blow up the whole gasoline station for his refusal to gas up on credit his red Isuzu Trooper Big Horn.
The refusal reportedly made him so furious that he allegedly got a high-powered firearm and cocked it in front of dela Torre.
“Mora mo nakamenos nako, rakrakan to mo’g hurot... Paulbohon ko ni inyong Petron (You’re not taking me seriously. I could shoot you all and blow up this station),” dela Torre quoted Joavan as saying.
The cashier reportedly did not allow Joavan to gas up because of his unsettled bills.
When sought for comment, Mayor Socrates blamed the cashier for refusing to serve his adopted son, adding that he has been regularly paying the bills at Petron.
The mayor refused to believe that Joavan was armed with a high-powered firearm or an assault rifle, and said his son merely carried a plastic toy gun.
However, the mayor announced last week that he would take a leave of absence starting yesterday to talk to his son.
Joavan is facing at least three criminal complaints.
The most recent are the two counts of illegal detention, grave threats and physical injuries filed against him and five others for allegedly snatching and mauling cousins Winston Abellana, 18 and Osbert, 21, last week.
Vulcanizing shop owner Mercedita Abellana and Osbert also lodged a case of robbery against Joavan for allegedly taking away their TV set and a DVD player in exchange for the mayor’s missing spare tire.
In 2006, Joavan figured in a criminal case in connection with the twin shooting incidents in Barangays Cansojong and Dumlog.
Jeepney driver Panfilo Barinque was killed while the jeepney conductor and two other teenagers were seriously wounded.
While the frustrated murder complaint was dismissed, Joavan’s murder case is still pending at the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City.
Joavan was released from the Talisay City Jail in Maghaway last year after the court allowed him to post bail. (GC)
