“It wasn’t me.”
One of the suspects in Monday’s P 3 million robbery outside La Nueva Supermarket near the Cebu City Hall called up the police to deny his involvement.
Rodulfo Atega, alias Dupong, of San Miguel, Bohol called up Sr. Insp. Michael Bastes, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch (CIIB) of the Cebu City Police and said he was not involved in the heist.
The suspect is currently in his hometown in Bohol and approached a policeman friend from that place to help clear his name.
Bastes told The Freeman that Atega reportedly went to the San Miguel police station accompanied by his uncle last Monday in the evening.
Atega has been alleged to be a member of the group when his picture appeared in stored photos of the cellular phone of Valentino Garcia, Jr.
Garcia is the brother of alleged Bohol Robbery Group leader Casimero alias Meloy.
Valentino was arrested a couple of months ago in the town of Consolacion, Cebu when a team led by Bastes went to their safehouse. Casimero and Atega reportedly escaped the dragnet while Valentino was left in the house.
He was booked for illegal possession of firearms.
Bastes said, it was his friend, SPO1 Dario Nuez, investigator of the San Miguel police station, who called him Monday night informing him of Atega’s presence in their office.
Atega told Nuez to help him clear his name after he heard on radio reports tagging him as one of the robbers, who pulled Monday’s heist that resulted to the wounding of two security guards, who were shot by the robbers.
Atega claimed that he was not in Cebu earlier that day and has witnesses to prove that he was indeed in Bohol.
The suspect said that he no longer mingled with Garcia’s group.
Bastes is not however convinced of the claim of Atega.
Positive Id
Meanwhile, Bastes said, witnesses positively identified Casimero Garcia as one of the two robbers, who shot the guards and grabbed the two bags containing money from teller Grace Manlangit.
The other man, who is yet to be identified, is believed to be a former security guard, but it was not clear if the latter is a former guard of La Nueva or the bank.
While the other suspect, who has been positively identified is Cresencio Reguya alias Bruts, allegedly acted as the one who terrorized the victims and witnesses by firing his weapon.
Reguya who is a former Cafgu, was tagged by the witnesses as the armed person who jumped-out from the gray Toyota Lite Ace van parked in front of La Nueva along Magallanes St. and fired several rounds from a machine pistol at the armored van.
Filing Of Case
Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, the city police director, said that the case would be filed once they can collate all the testimonies of witnesses and the evidence gathered.
The police claimed they now have a warrant of arrest against the some members of the group aside from Garcia after the Talibon Regional Trial Court Branch 52 judge Irma Zeta Masamayor issued a warrant of arrest for Robbery in Band against the Garcia brothers, Reguya, Arsenio Polo, and two others.
Polo’s picture was also found in the cellular phone of Valentino Garcia.
The group has been tagged responsible for the robbery of a gasoline station in Talibon a few months ago.
Relieved
Comendador ordered the relief of Insp. Mario Abellana, the chief of the Tourist Cops from the Waterfront Police Station.
Three policemen assigned as Tourist Cops failed to respond to the crime. They have been disarmed by Comendador.
The three are SPO1 Enrique Teves, PO3 Rogacio Naval and PO1 Mark Anthony Manlosa, who alleged that they were not at their post at the time of the crime.
Challenge Accepted
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday accepted the dare of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to take responsibility for the robbery.
But the mayor also challenged the governor to take responsibility for the killings of former Cebu City Bantay Dagat director Elpidio de la Victoria, who was killed in Talisay City, and former Madridejos Mayor Rogelio Illustrissimo Sr., who was killed inside the Capitol grounds.
“Absolutely, I assume responsibility,” Osmeña said, adding that it was the very reason why he ordered the police to look into all the details, including investigation against four policemen who assigned in the vicinity but failed to respond to the robbery.
Likewise, the mayor said that the failure of the police to respond to the intelligence report prior the robbery is also being looked into.
“Sure I accept responsibility. Not like the governor, when her political enemy gets killed in the Capitol, she did not accept responsibility. That’s your security problem, that’s your political enemy it’s highly suspected to be politically motivated… and she will not accept responsibility for that,” Osmeña said. — with Wenna A. Berondo/NLQ