Bus conductor gets a year in jail for theft

The Regional Trial Court sentenced a former bus conductor to a year in jail after he was found guilty of stealing collections worth over P3,000 nine years ago.

RTC judge Eric Menchavez said Renato Andrino, who jumped bail while the trial of the case was still going on, was found guilty of simple theft. He was eventually rearrested. Menchavez said Andrino did not refute the evidences presented by the prosecution because he jumped bail and the court considers this actuation as a waiver to present his defense.

Andrino was a fare collector for a Rough Riders Bus driven by a certain Bonifacio Marcos plying the Tuburan to Cebu City route.

The court record showed that Andrino collected a total of P3,481 from the fares of the passengers who rode the bus from Cebu's northwestern town of Tuburan to Cebu City on September 29, 1996.

When the bus arrived in Cebu city, Andrino failed to remit the collections to their office. It was learned later that he had fled with the money.

Bus conductors or fare collectors are supposed to remit their collections to their office with the corresponding bus tickets once they arrive in Cebu City. - Rene U. Borromeo