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Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Armed men ransack judge's office
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Disguised as military officers, seven men ransacked a Regional Trial Court (RTC) office and left two gallons of gasoline that would have been more than enough to reduce the entire Hall of Justice building to ashes.
Authorities believe the incident is connected to a major case lodged with the court as it handles drug-related and heinous cases.
RTC Branch 25 Judge Noli Catli and his staff said Monday afternoon they could not be certain yet what the armed men brought away with them but initial police investigation revealed it included high-powered firearms and some documents.
"We are still conducting an inventory but because of the number of items and documents we have to check we might never really know until the actual cases are called to trial," RTC Branch 25 clerk of court Anna Cabanlas-Carroz said.
Security guard Alejandro Estrada he was sitting down at one of the old vehicles in the front parking lot at around 2 a.m. Monday when the armed men stealthily scaled the Hall of Justice wall adjacent to the Philippine Boys Scout building.
Estrada said the men, who were wearing dark clothes and bonnets, took him by surprise. They pointed their firearms and shouted at him.
"They told me this is a coup' d etat," he said, adding that the men disarmed him.
Guns, documents
Estrada said the men then opened the gates so their getaway vehicle could enter and told him to bring them to the RTC Branch 25 office where they taped his mouth and forced him to lie down on the floor.
He said one of the seven men kept his M16 armalite trained on him the whole time and told him they would not hesitate to shoot if he makes any noise.
"I was really very scared as they really would kill me," Estrada said.
He recalled how the armed men, using a huge steel crow bar, forced open the door to the personnel room and Catli's inner chambers.
Estrada said he noticed that they used a small penlight flashlight and ransacked the cabinets and drawers, taking away some high-powered firearms and documents.
"One of them even asked a sack from me," added Estrada.
He admitted he could not actually remember what the armed men were saying to each other, only describing them as "bisaya kaayo". One of them shouted at him saying, "You people here are very strict!"
Possible leads
Estrada said the men grabbed anything they could get their hands on and jammed them inside carry-on bags and brought them to their vehicle.
When he heard the group's vehicle leave, Estrada said he made some noise just to be sure and then reported the incident to the police at around 3:30 a.m.
Second private security guard Leonardo Yerro said he was at the back of the Hall of Justice building when the incident took place.
Yerro said he did not notice any commotion on the front or at the first floor where the ransacked court was located.
Both Estrada and Yerro are members of the Veterans Security Agency and were assigned to the graveyard shift that day.
Several police officers arrived but it was the Scene of the Crime Operations team who first went inside to dust for fingerprints.
SPO4 Mario Pelaez and his team also arrived at the scene to interview courtroom employees for possible leads on who could be behind the deed.
He asked Carroz if the hundreds of high-powered firearms confiscated from Philippine Benevolent Christians Movement (PBCM) members and brought to court were among those taken away.
Heinous crimes
Carroz said she already turned over to Branch 21 the PBCM's firearms since last year.
PBCM members led by Thomas Eugenio were arrested last 2003 for illegally keeping high-powered firearms and ammos in their compound in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental.
The group is allegedly a breakaway faction of the Ecleo family's PBMA.
Carroz said the two major drug-related cases they have involve a certain Bolo and Carter Tan but the evidence against them were not yet forwarded to their court.
She said illegal drugs manufacturing paraphernalia and other evidence taken from a warehouse recently were also not with them.
However, the illegal drugs and other paraphernalia allegedly taken from Taiwanese individuals during another raid at Opol, Misamis Oriental are still in their cabinet.
"But even if these evidence were taken, still they were already presented in court," Carroz told Pelaez.
The Cogon police said they are already checking on a particular group that they believe could be behind the incident.
Police said they found some 51 paltik firearms--38 caliber and 22 mm caliber--left behind by the group.
Cagayan de Oro City police director Colonel Aurelio Trampe said it is doubtful that the incident was part of any planned uprising as the armed men disguised as military soldiers wanted people to believe.
He said the group may have been paid by someone to steal away some evidence and documents on a pending case.
"We believe this is related to one the heinous cases Judge Catli is handling," said Trampe. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
(January 3, 2006 issue)
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