2 holduppers nabbed

Two suspected robbers, one of them was allegedly involved in the killing of a security guard in a convenience store hold-up, were collared in Bacolod City, yesterday and late Tuesday.

Don-Don Edal, 23, of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, was sleeping at his mother’s house in Purok Paghidaet, Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod, when he was arrested by Police Station 8 members led by Senior Insp. Placido Gentoleo, around noon yesterday.

The arrest was made by virtue of a warrant issued by a Bacolod court for three counts of robbery-hold-up, with a P100,000 bail set for each case, Gentoleo said.

He said Edal denied involvement in any crime and initially refused to go with them, although several informants positively identified him as among the four men who robbed several pedestrians in Tangub.

Among the hold-ups in which the group had been tagged was the morning robbery of a convenience store in Brgy. Alijis, in Bacolod, where a security guard was shot dead.

Edal’s other three companions, who were included in the same warrant, were still at large as of yesterday, but are the subject of search operations, the police said.

Gentoleo said Edal’s companions are considered armed and dangerous.

Butch Cuadra of Purok Sigay, Brgy. 2, Bacolod, meanwhile, was arrested by security guards shortly after he allegedly robbed Shiela Mae Espinosa, 23, and Irish Beth Galindez, 29, at knifepoint, of a shoulder bag with P2,000 in cash, at the South Capitol Road, Brgy. 8, in the city, at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Police investigation showed that about 15 minutes before his arrest, Cuadra and his two unidentified companions also divested Noe Silverio, 33, and Ana Marie Lobaton of an P18,000 Nokia N92 cellphone, while threatening them with a knife, also at the South Capitol Road.

Espinosa’s bag and the 13-inch knife that Cuadra, who is jobless, used to threaten the two were recovered by the guards and members of Police Station 2.

Cuardra admitted robbing Espinosa and Galindez, saying he needed money, but denied stealing from Silverio and Lobaton, although they identified him at the detention cell of the precinct.

Insp. Jeffrey Attunaga, Police Station 2 commander, said they will file robbery-hold-up charges against Cuadra.*PP

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PDEA files raps
for drug peddling

Illegal drugs charges were filed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency yesterday against two men arrested in a buy-bust operation in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, last week.

Charged were Jude Juanico for prohibited drugs peddling and possession, and Emmanuel Macatibo for illegal drugs possession under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, PO2 Cirilo Baluma Jr., PDEA provincial officer-in-charge, said.

Juanico and Macatibo were nabbed by the PDEA members in Purok Paraiso, Brgy. Hilamonan, Kabankalan, as they handed a matchbook of dried marijuana leaves to an operative, Baluma said.

Thirteen more matchbooks containing dried marijuana leaves were found on the two, who admitted the offenses, when they were frisked, he added.

In March last year, Juanico was acquitted by a Regional Trial Court judge of illegal possession of prohibited drugs charges despite the confiscation of 15 marijuana plants found by PDEA members in his compound.

The judge ruled that, since the illegal plants were uprooted inside Juanico’s compound that was fenced, the officers should have applied for a search warrant first, as the prohibited drugs were considered part of his residence.*PP

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