Limotan as state witness rejected

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña objected to the plan to have Danny Limotan, Rey Torres' former partner, turn state witness because it "will only make him scot-free."

Osmeña said it is unnecessary for him to be made as witness as there is enough evidence to pin him down in court.

He would prefer the crippled Torres to serve as state witness because he "can no longer do harm with his present situation, unlike Limotan who is still physically fit."

Already in the bag so far are Torres, Limotan and the Jaime brothers Tito and Alladin, who reportedly admitted having participated as drivers in several heists allegedly perpetrated by Torres and Limotan before.

Police said the Torres robbery group is now "seventy-percent crippled" after the Jaime brothers in Danao City the other day.

Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch chief Paul Labra who led a team of policemen to arrest Torres and Limotan in Mindanao, said yesterday that there is a big possibility that members who are at large would regroup and launch robberies in Metro Cebu.

Still on the loose are Junard Saladaga who Limotan said was the right-hand man of Torres, Nardo Abapo, the Gamanay brothers Kokoy, Loloy and Jun-jun, and a certain Wengweng.

Limotan claimed that it was Saladaga's modus operandi to rob payroll money through surveillance in banks where the target would withdraw.

Before he was arrested, Torres pointed at Limotan as responsible for the P2-million payroll heist in Mandaue city weeks ago victimizing Premiere Shipping.

But Limotan said it was Saladaga's plan. In fact, he said, Saladaga once called him up if he could join them and when he refused, he was reportedly told that it was already Saladaga's girlfriend who did the surveillance. He was also told that had he agreed he would have been given a bigger part of the loot.

Torres said their modus before was to send a woman to a particular bank to see who is withdrawing a lot of money, while the robbers are already outside the bank.

Once the target has been identified, the woman then informs her waiting companions outside and the target would be tailed until it stops at a red light for the robbers to strike.

Limotan also said if there is somebody among the members capable of launching another robbery its either Abapo or Saladaga because both still have their guns.

As of yesterday, Roldan Rodriguez whose real name is Jimwel Cardoza and who was arrested along with Torres last September was confirmed by the intelligence community to be in Manila.

He left for Manila last February after running away P200 million in payroll robbery in Cagayan de Oro City without giving Torres his share.

Labra said Cardoza did not have a group of his own and merely joined Torres but that it's not impossible he would be able to form his own group as he is already experienced and is also considered aggressive.

As of the moment, the next target is Saladaga although police are still on case buildup to determine where Saladaga is hiding now and while this is the case.

Meanwhile, there is a possibility that two of three alleged cohorts of Torres will be released from detention if no witnesses will appear to pinpoint at them as being involved in the series of robberies here in Cebu.

PSOG chief Juanito Enguerra yesterday said that of the three alleged robbers they arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest last Thursday, only Glenn "Tito" Jaime was positively identified.

A waiter of the Lami-ah Restaurant in barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City said Jaime robbed them months ago.

Police are also still waiting for the owner of Alco Foreign Exchange which was robbed of P200,000 last December to show up. Enguerra also said that they are waiting for more witnesses to come to their office.

He also said that they already received yesterday the habeas corpus signed by judge Eric Menchaves ordering him, CPPO director Drusillo Bolodo and S/Insp. Ludivico Quitaran of the PRO-7 legal service division to bring the suspects to his sala. - Ryan P. Borinaga, Cristina C. Birondo and Flor Z. Perolina