Man gets 8 years for stealing house utensils

CEBU, Philippines – A man was sentenced to suffer a maximum of eight years imprisonment after he was found guilty of robbery for stealing several house utensils from the house of a barangay tanod in Sambag I.

Regional Trial Court Judge Estella Alma Singco found Archie Alvarado guilty of the crime despite his denial because his companion admitted to it.

Alvarado was accused by Robinson Castillo of breaking into his stockroom where he kept assorted kitchen utensils, rubberized hose and tarpaulin on July 14, 2006.

Castillo said he saw Alvarado together with Darwin Rigodon at around 2 a.m. bringing a box containing the stolen items. Castillo said he called out the duo but they ignored him.

It was only later when Castillo found out that the items the suspects were bringing the utensils he kept in the stockroom of his house, which was scheduled for demolition.

The utensils, amounting to P8,300, were already sold to some of his neighbors, including the grandmother of Alvarado, when the victim discovered the incident.

Alvarado and Rigodon admitted when called before the barangay and promised to return the things they have stolen. However, they failed to fulfill their promise prompting the victim to file the case for robbery in court.

Alvarado however did not anymore admit the crime in court despite his companion’s admission to the crime, prompting the court to dismiss his alibi.

Singco, in a six-page decision, said that Castillo was “forthright, consistent and credible” witness because he is a barangay tanod.

The court ruled that Castillo’s testimony was corroborated by another witness and that he did not also have any motive to falsely implicate the accused.

The court found Alvarado guilty of the crime and sentenced him to suffer an indeterminate penalty of four years minimum to eight years maximum imprisonment. — Fred P. Languido/WAB (THE FREEMAN)