Three men accused of robbing a couple at gunpoint in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City on Monday, December 4, will be spending some time in jail after they were nabbed by police. | Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City police have filed charges of robbery against the three men accused of robbing a couple from General Santos City at gunpoint on Monday afternoon, December 4, 2023.
The alleged suspects were arrested by police on Tuesday morning, December 6, less than 24 hours after the incident.
The arrested persons were identified as Jay Ar Miraflor Palermo, Jerry Arong Apa, and Leopoldo Montelebano Jamolin.
READ: Robbery suspect: ‘Sky is the limit,’ stolen money spent on women and drinks
Charges filed on Dec. 6
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), the robbery charges against the three were filed on Wednesday, December 6.
Rafter also expressed her gratitude for the victims, who chose to push through with filing charges even after one of the alleged suspects, who is also their acquaintance, asked for a second chance because he had a 2-month-old baby.
She said that this would serve as a lesson for possible criminals that they would not be able to sway victims in order to get away from the consequences of their wrongdoings.
“Mas maayo pud gyud na no, nga gipadayon gyud nila ang ilang kaso pud…Para pud mapanagot nato sila mga sala..kay otherwise, mahimo nang sumbanan sa uban,” said Rafter.
(It is good that they pushed through with the filing of the case…so that they can answer to their fault…because otherwise this can be followed by the others.)
Rafter said that if they were not charged for their alleged crime, there would be a possibility that these men would be involved in other illegal activities in the future.
READ: Cebu City police nab 3 men accused of robbing a couple from GenSan
Where is the money?
Meanwhile, police personnel are still working to find out where the rest of the stolen money is.
It can be recalled that out of the P400,000 cash that was taken, only around P170,000 was recovered by operatives during the hot-pursuit operation in Sitio San Roque, Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City.
“Naningkamot pa gyud ang atong mga kapulisan sa pagsuta og sa pagsusi kung asa gyud pud ni napa-ingon ang uban pa nga mga cash. But accordingly, makita man gyud nato sa mga panagway sa mga suspetsado nga mủrang nagasto na gyud nila ang ubay-ubay pud niadto nga portion sa mao nga kantidad,” stated Rafter.
(The police are trying their best to find out where the other cash went. But accordingly, we can see in the suspects’ faces that it seemed that they had already spent a big portion of the amount.)
READ: Robbery: Robbers who posed as ‘NBI agents’ loot jewelry store in Cebu City
‘Sky is the limit’
One of the alleged suspects, Apa, earlier claimed that he spent the rest of the missing money by himself before he was arrested.
With a mindset of “sky is the limit,” Apa allegedly spent the money on alcoholic drinks at a club and on women he paid to entertain him.
The stolen mobile phone, however, was allegedly thrown into the sea after the assailants feared that its global positioning system (GPS) would allow police to track their location.
The robbery incident took place in Barangay Binaliw in Cebu City while the two victims were on their way to collect a vehicle they bought online from an individual in Cebu City.
The couple, who engaged in personal investments, allegedly sought the help of Palermo, a buy and sell agent they had worked with before and a former neighbor in General Santos City.
READ: Food delivery driver stabs, kills female friend for P197,000 cash, gets arrested, jailed
How they were arrested
However, two alleged suspects onboard a motorcycle stopped them and snatched a bag containing cash and jewelry worth a total of P782,000. One of the suspects also allegedly pointed a firearm at the victims.
Despite his efforts to disguise himself as a victim, Palermo eventually confessed and named two of his alleged accomplices who were then apprehended.
Unlike Apa and Jamolin, who accepted their fate of going to jail, Palermo requested for another chance from his long-term acquaintances by apologizing and stating that he deeply regretted his actions.
The victims chose to forgive Palermo, but they still filed a complaint to hold the alleged suspects responsible for their crime.
READ: Pawnshop robbery: Police to file charges against 6 suspects
Don’t easily trust people
For individuals who will be engaging in transactions where money is involved, Rafter advised them to not put their full trust on others and to choose safe locations where they could exchange the money.
“Dili gyud nato isalig. Bisan pag unsa nato kakaila siguro no, basta when it comes to kwarta nga dagko og mga kantidad, dili gyud nato na isalig. So we can go to the police station para didto na lang mo magbinayranay or somewhere safe or the barangay hall. Labi na nga dili mo tagadiha nga lugara. Wala mo kasinati nianang lugara,” stated Rafter.
(We should not trust them. Even if you knew the person well, when it comes to big amounts of money, we should not easily trust others. So we can go to the police station so that you can do the payments or somewhere safe or the barangay hall. Especially, if you do not reside in the area. You don’t know the area quite well.)