Friday, August 29, 2008 No guns found in Joavan house By Garry A. Cabotaje Sun.Star Staff Reporter
POLICE raided the house of Joavan Fernandez yesterday morning and did not find any of the guns he was alleged to possess.
After two hours of searching, the raiding team led by Senior Insp. Jovito Canlapan emerged empty-handed from Joavan’s house in Friendly Homes on the boundary of Barangays Tabunok and Bulacao.
The court issued the warrant, valid for 10 days, on Aug. 22 but the search was carried out only yesterday.
Canlapan assumed as acting chief of the Talisay City Police Station starting Wednesday, temporarily taking over from Supt. Romeo Perigo, who is on sick leave.
A warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 10 Judge Soliver Peras authorized yesterday’s search. According to the warrant, Joavan allegedly possessed two .45 caliber pistol, Ingram and KG9 machine pistols, and assorted long firearms and ammunition.
It was the first raid since Joavan figured in a series of controversies, including the beating up of vulcanizing shop workers Winston Abellana, 18, and Osbert Abellana, 21, last Aug. 11.
The two said that Joavan struck them in the head and back with a firearm that looked like an Ingram machine pistol.
Pump boy Edward dela Torre, 21, also told reporters that Joavan cocked his gun and threatened to blow the Petron station up in Barangay Lawaan I after he was kept from refueling on credit.
The raid, which turned up nothing, raised doubts among Talisaynons on whether the local police was really serious in running after Joavan.
Radio callers said the raid could have been staged merely to dispute media reports that Joavan allegedly kept high-powered firearms.
The presence of Mayor Socrates Fernandez at the scene also drew flak from several radio listeners who said this cast doubt on the integrity of the police operation.
The raid came after Joavan issued conflicting statements in two radio interviews about the allegations that he keeps firearms.
While he confirmed in his first media interview over radio dyHP that he owned a licensed firearm for protection, he retracted the statement the next day and told radio dyLA that he only carried a toy gun.
Mayor Fernandez, a Catholic “faith defender”, earlier said he never saw Joavan carry a real gun, only a plastic firearm.
According to a report by radio dyAB, the raiding team arrived at Joavan’s house past 6 a.m. yesterday but had to wait for tanods for five minutes before they entered the house.
Later, Mayor Fernandez came and checked on the legality of the search warrant.
The searchers, however, did not open a small warehouse adjacent to the house because the warrant didn’t mention it.
Mayor Fernandez also refused to let the police open the bodega, saying he would only abide by the decision of the raiding team.
Canlapan said Joavan’s service vehicle was not included in the warrant either.
A new silver Hilux Toyota was parked nearby, but the red Isuzu Trooper Joavan is said to own was nowhere in sight.
Canlapan said only the house was applied for in the search warrant because no vehicle was registered in Joavan’s name.
This, however, ran counter to Mayor Fernandez’s statement that the ownership of the Isuzu Trooper has already been transferred to his adopted son.
Fernandez said he would not file a counter-suit against the raiding team because he believed that they were merely executing a lawful court order.
The raid happened after Mayor Fernandez and Judge Peras met during Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s visit at Talisay City Central School last Wednesday afternoon.
Garcia distributed school supplies, class records and lesson plans to public schools in Talisay.
But Fernandez said they never discussed the case or any issues involving his adopted son that day.
“Yes, we were in one occasion but we were seated far from each other. We never talked about it,” he said.
Also yesterday, Joavan’s mother came to his defense.
Jovita, the mayor’s wife, told radio dyLA that Joavan is a good son who is respectful of people. She said she does not believe the accusations against her son.
She said that ever since Joavan was little, he was always with his father and was the one who carried the Bible for him.
Jovita also said it is Joavan who drives Mayor Fernandez to Argao every week for his church duties. (With VLM of Superbalita)
