Solon’s brother surrenders after being served warrant

The elder brother of Rep. Romeo Jalosjos voluntarily surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Central Visayas last Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued by a Cebu City judge in relation to his 1969 conviction on charges of robbery.

Dominador Jalosjos was confined at the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital when the arrest order of Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Soliver Peras was served by CIDG agents.

Jalosjos’s lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna said they decided to no longer contest the court ruling. “We have the opportunity to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court but why wait. Anyway, the sentence is just a year and six months,” dela Cerna said. Jalosjos was found guilty for his alleged involvement in a highway robbery in Cebu City in 1969. He was convicted by the then Court of First Instance and was meted the penalty of one year and six months.

He decided to undergo a probation, a remedy granted by law for persons convicted of an offense that carries the penalty of less than six years of imprisonment. Jalosjos, however, failed to report to the probation officer resulting in the cancelation of the court’s probation order.

“He’s from Dapitan City and the probation officer was based in Cebu so that may have been the reason why he failed to report regularly,” said dela Cerna who took over the case last year.

Jalosjos became the mayor of Dapitan City from 2004 to 2013. He ran for governor of Zamboanga del Sur during the May 2013 elections but was disqualified by the High Court due to his conviction.

Jalosjos is the owner of Dakak Resort in Dapitan City and is presently confined in the hospital due to a heart ailment. Judge Peras mandated Jalosjos’ doctor to appear before the court to explain why the accused need medical attention.