Robbery suspect: ‘Sky is the limit,’ stolen money spent on women and drinks

One of the men who allegedly robbed a couple from General Santos City claimed that he spent the stolen money on women and alcoholic drinks. | Emmariel Ares

CEBU CITY, Philippines — One of the alleged suspects of a robbery in Barangay Binaliw, a mountain barangay in Cebu City, confessed that he spent the stolen money on women and drinks, citing that he felt like “sky is the limit.”

On Tuesday morning, December 5, 2023, police arrested three men accused of holding a couple from General Santos City at gunpoint and robbing them.

The arrested persons were identified as Jay Ar Miraflor Palermo, Jerry Arong Apa, and Leopoldo Montelebano Jamolin.

READ: Cebu City police nab 3 men accused of robbing a couple from GenSan

Robbery suspect confessed involvement

Despite pretending to be a victim as well,  Palermo soon confessed his involvement and gave the names of his accomplices which lead to their arrest. 

In an interview with reporters, Apa admitted to spending most of the stolen money on women and alcohol.

From the P400,000 cash that was stolen, only P170,000 were recovered by police.

READ: Robbery: Robbers who posed as ‘NBI agents’ loot jewelry store in Cebu City

Where stolen money was spent

When asked about where the rest of the money went, Apa answered with the phrase — “Sky is the limit.”

He said that because he was the one assigned to keep the money safe, he mindlessly spent a majority of it all on his own.

According to Apa, he bought alcoholic drinks in a club with friends and paid for women to entertain him. However, he denied spending a single peso on drugs.

Apa, who formerly worked as a security guard, said that he was initially a decent job until he was asked to help in the robbery. 

READ: Food delivery driver stabs, kills female friend for P197,000 cash, gets arrested, jailed

Taking responsibility for crimes

He also said that he was assured by Palermo that it would be an easy job and that the victims would not report to authorities because they were rich and were in a hurry to return to their hometown.

However, Apa said that he would now take responsibility for what he had done.

“Nabuhat naman na, barugan. Barugan na lang, nakasa man gi ta,” he said.

(That is already done, so we stand by it. We stand by it, we already did it.)

This was also what Palermo allegedly said to Jamolin, who formerly worked as a seaman before he was unable to go back due to a problem.

READ: Robbery update: Alleged mastermind in pawnshop heist nabbed in Argao

Told that victims were scammers

Jamolin told reporters that Palermo convinced him to join saying that the victims were scammers.

He also admitted that he pointed the gun at the victims and was instructed to transfer P60,000 money to Palermo’s account online.

Another reason why he joined the robbery was because of his P7,000 debt to Palermo’s wife, said Jamolin.

Just like Apa, Jamolin said that he had no choice but to face the consequences of his actions.

While his accomplices were resigned to their fate, Jay Ar Palermo (right) pleaded to their victims to give him another chance. | Emmariel Ares

On the other hand, Palermo appealed to the victims, who were his long-term acquaintances, to give him a second chance.

While he admitted to the crime, he said that he only did it because he desperately needed money to provide for his 2-month-old baby.

“Dako jud kog mahay kay maayo man gud ni silang tawo gud. Nagkuyog gid mi ani last ba.  Unya mao lagi tungod sa kwarta lang ba…Daghan kaayo kog problema. Mangayo kog pasaylo ma’am. First time ko ni nabuhat gyud promise. Ang kaulaw karon, dawaton jud nako,” said Palermo to his victims.

(I really regret what I did because they are really good persons. We were together last time. And because of money …I have a lot of problem. I will ask forgiveness to them. This is the first time I did this, promise. The shame that I face now I embrace it.)

READ: Pawnshop robbery: Police to file charges against 6 suspects

Apology of robbery suspect accepted but …

Palermo asked the couple to refrain from filing charges because he had a child that he needed to take care of.

In response to the alleged suspect’s request, the victims said that they accepted his apology even though they never expected that he would betray them.

Palermo and the victims reportedly first met as neighbors in GenSan and had dealt in various business transactions before, which was why they easily trusted him.

However, the couple is determined to file robbery charges against Palermo and his accomplices in order to stop them from victimizing others.

READ: Pawnshop robbery mastermind is ex-political prisoner, juris doctor

One of the victims also said that she felt that something was wrong while they were on their way to retrieve the vehicle because Palermo made many stops.

Before they head back to General Santos City, the victims are set to formally file the complaint against the suspects.

As of this writing, the three men are detained at the custodial facility of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).