THE pawnshop burglary that occurred past 5 a.m. Thursday, December 14, 2023, on Natalio Bacalso Avenue, Barangay Labangon, Cebu City, was interrupted by the police.
The burglar was identified as Juanito Branzuela Dilvo Jr., 25, a welder/mason who hails from Bayugan, Agusan del Sur but temporarily resided in Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City.
Responding personnel from the Labangon Police Station's Mobile Patrol Division led by Police Staff Sergeant Awing Tabayag as well as members of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) apprehended Dilvo.
Prior to his apprehension, an individual from the next eatery called the Labangon Police Station to inform that they heard loud banging coming from the Palawan pawnshop.
The water flowed from the inside, as though a hard item had struck the water pipe, setting off the store's alarm.
The heist event resembled a scene from a movie, as a woman from Barangay Lawaan, Talisay City, who went by the name Emelou, believed the burglar was her 25-year-old son who had not returned home.
She joined the police in urging the suspect to surrender.
The Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) squad pushed open the store’s rear exit when the suspect refused to surrender despite their pleas, and they saw Dilvo aiming a revolver at his neck through a ceiling’s hole.
Dilvo said he had no family and no place to live, which is why he intended to end his life.
The police then asked Dilvo to surrender.
Dilvo and the police yelled at each other until he finally conceded to the police’s request to turn himself in after around 15 minutes of negotiation.
The police also assured Dilvo that nothing would happen to him if he gives up his weapon.
Taken from Dilvo were P5,900 in cash, a hand grenade, and a .38 revolver loaded with bullets.
“Kinasing-kasing ba nga gihangyo gipa-feel nato niya nga duna pa siyay pag-asa. Wala na daw siyay pag-asa mopahulay na daw siya, wala daw siyay ginakanan, pamilya. Akong gi-ingnan nga ayaw pasko karon, ang mga buta gani maglisod molakaw mokatawa gusto mabuhi,” Tabayag said.
(We sincerely asked him and gave him hope that there is still chance. He claimed to have no relatives or parents and that he was hopeless and just wanted to end his life. I warned him against doing it since it's Christmas and told him that even the blind people can laugh despite having trouble walking because they want to live.)
Dilvo's eyes were red and wide open when he was caught, and he kept changing his statements when police questioned him, leading them to suspect that he was high on narcotics.
Mary Ann Hesita Tuyor, 36, the pawnshop’s branch manager who hails from Cabahug Estancia, Barangay Ibabao, Mandaue City, acted as the complainant against Dilvo.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is now preparing to file charges against Dilvo for robbery by using force against objects and unlawful gun possession.
Police Major Angelito Valleser, chief of Labangon Police Station 10, said that when they asked the suspect to turn himself in, he did not resist.
Dilvo said he really intended to rob the pawnshop and send the money he obtained to his family in Negros.
However, his plan failed when he got stuck on his way out of the establishment and was forced to wait until the morning.
Another reason for committing the crime was his sadness following his breakup with his girlfriend.
CCPO Chief Police Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog praised his men for solving the crime quickly.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy city director for operation of the CCPO, warned the media not to do it again after seeing that they had not worn body armor when they arrived at the scene.
She said that if the suspect engaged in combat with the police, their lives would be in jeopardy. (GPL, AYB, TPT)