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Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Helper killed, driver hurt; barangay folk nab 3
By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- A restaurant helper was stabbed dead while a driver is in critical condition after they tried to stop three "customers" from stabbing their employer and robbing her of P1 million worth of jewelry Tuesday afternoon in Barangay Zapatera, Cebu City.
The suspects grabbed businesswoman Jennifer Salonga's two bags containing the jewelry and cash, and ran off.
The three didn't get far, though, after they got caught and took a beating.
Jennifer and husband Alvin own the A. Salonga Music Center.
Jennifer was in her restaurant, Pong Yen, dealing jewelry when the attack happened.
Jomari Briones, 25, died in Cebu Velez General Hospital because of stab wounds in his chest, while driver Arnel Villecorta, 30, is fighting for his life because of stab wounds in his back. Jennifer's friend Alona Sanchez was wounded in the forearm.
Enrique Bandoles Jr., 36, Arnold Balansag, 27, and Victoriano Padilla, 32, were reportedly drinking in Pong Yen on Sikatuna St. in Barangay Zapatera about 3:30 p.m.
When they saw that Jennifer was dealing jewelry at the restaurant's counter, the three decided to rob her.
Defense
When two of them pulled out hunting knives and announced the hold-up, Jennifer refused to give the bag containing about P1 million worth of jewelry.
The two then tried to stab her, but Jennifer's friend Alona got in the way and was wounded in the left forearm.
Seeing the commotion, Briones and Villecorta got in the way and stopped the two from hurting the women.
Briones and Villecorta were stabbed several times before the three men grabbed the bag of jewelry and another bag containing P45,000 cash.
According to Senior Police Officer 3 Alexander Quirante of the Parian Police Station, the incident left Jennifer hysterical and in shock.
The three ran off towards Rahmann St. while the restaurant's employees ran to the street to call for help.
Village help
Zapatera Barangay Captain Frank Benedicto and his tanods got into their patrol and chased them while members of the Special Weapons and Tactics team and Parian Police Station also responded.
"Dili na sila magsilbe diri sa amo. (They can't get away with what they did here.) We're not sleeping (on the job)," Benedicto told Sun.Star.
Bandoles and Balansag were first caught on Sepulveda St. after residents saw them running with two bags and began beating them up.
Padilla was later found hiding among the shrubs in an empty lot.
Anecito Chua, cab driver of Donman taxi, and Maximiano Nazareno, a resident of Sepulveda St., helped barangay authorities in the arrest.
Padilla was not spared from the beating and got more than what his cohorts endured when he was brought to the Zapatera Barangay Hall.
Two hunting knives, one of them bloodied, and two bags were recovered from them.
Admission
The Salongas took possession of the bags to conduct an inventory of the jewelry to see if any items were missing.
In an interview with reporters, none of the three admitted carrying a hunting knife, but Police Officer 3 Jeffery Diola said Bandoles was identified as the one who stabbed the two.
However, all three admitted robbing the restaurant.
The two others pointed to Bandoles as the one who thought of the heist.
Bandoles said he was jobless and that he needed the money to pay the bills.
When he saw all the glittering diamonds and other jewelry, the idea came to him.
The three men are under the custody of the Theft and Robbery Section where they will undergo tactical interrogation. Investigators have yet to find out if any of the three had a criminal record.
Although the suspects had registered addresses in Barangay Basak-San Nicolas, Diola said Padilla and Bandoles are originally from Lanao del Norte while Balansag, from Moalboal town.
Tanods' work
Also last Monday night, tanods of Barangay Pahina-Central arrested suspected robber Ricky Gantalao, 20, at the corner of Tupas and Flores Sts. in Barangay Pasil at 8 p.m.
Victim Khaezar Rubio, 19, was on a jeepney when Gantalao allegedly poked a kitchen knife at him and took his Nokia 3310.
Rubio and his friends chased Gantalao and ran into tanods at an outpost beside the Cebu Eastern College.
The tanods found Gantalao and arrested him. His friend, a certain Nilo, escaped with the cellphone, but it was later returned by a certain Idang to the Carbon Police Station.
(February 9, 2005 issue)
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