Six charged for qualified theft

CEBU - Six of the 21 employees of a soft drinks distributor who were accused of stealing about P2.5 million worth of products since January have been indicted for qualified theft before the court.

The Cebu City Prosecutors’ Office filed the formal charges before the Regional Trial Court against Mary Joy Apostol, Roderick Jalan, Christopher Lauron, Marvin Parba, Elvin Posadas and Rey Anthony Pimentel.

The accused allegedly connived to pilfer several products from Cebu Delco Traders. They were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation during an entrapment operation the other week after warehouse proprietor Rosario Lomotos complained of losses.

Lomotos sought the NBI assistance after she suspected her employees were responsible for the losses. The six were ordered to pay a bail of P4,000 each for their temporary liberty.

They were among the 21 earlier arrested by the NBI operatives. The other suspects who are still facing complaints at the Cebu City Prosecutors Office are Giovannie Catipay, Christian Cadiz, Vicente Quirante, Guillermo Cajegas, Jose Jerry Cajes, Abraham Sacol, Romeo Quilo, Melcris Dingding, Eduard Martinez, Joilo Pame, Eugene Alaba, Joselito Catipay, Reynaldo Sanchez, Aldrin Obtile and Romil Yurangcol.

Lomotos alleged that sometime last month she discovered that the gross sales covering the preceeding months and the remaining inventory of stocks in the warehouse in Quiot, Pardo, did not match with the total number of stocks purchased and delivered from Pepsi Pro-duct Philippines.

To her dismay, the shortfall allegedly reached up to P2.5 million since January 2008 up to the present.

Lomotos said she had a difficulty in tracing the losses until she received a tip that her checkers, Apostol and Pimen-tel, are helping the drivers and helpers steal the products through under reporting and valuation.

Lomotos said she started conducting a discreet investigation into the information and found it to be true last September 18, thus an entrapment operation was conducted. — Fred P. Languido/BRP (THE FREEMAN)