Joavan points gun at guard?

CEBU, Philippines - After keeping a very low profile during the election period, Joavan Fernandez, the adopted son of reelected Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, found himself in the middle of another controversy.

This time, a security guard complained to the police that the younger Fernandez allegedly pointed a gun at him while he was on duty at Vista Grande Subdivision in barangay Bulacao, Talisay City last Saturday afternoon.

Cleto Dandan, 44, a resident of sitio Mananga 2, barangay Tabunok of the city, reported to the Talisay City Police Office that Joavan pointed a caliber .45 pistol at him past 3 p.m. last Saturday.

Dandan said that Joavan, who was driving a green Mitsubishi Pajero with plate numbers GNZ-357, wanted to enter the subdivision and as a procedure, the guard stopped him at the gate to ask where he was headed.

The guard said that Joavan immediately got mad at him then pulled out a gun and pointed it at Dandan.

Joavan then allegedly threatened Dandan by saying, “Ikaw buanga ka ha, pusilon tika ‘ron. Wa pa ra ba ta mahuman,” before speeding away inside the subdivision.

Dandan said that it was not the first time that Joavan got mad at him.

He said that last Thursday, he called Joavan’s attention when residents of the subdivision asked him to call the attention of the mayor’s son about the noise that his motorcycle made when he entered the place.

Dandan said that when Joavan was on his way out of the subdivision last Thursday, he told the latter to put a silencer in the exhaust pipe of the motorcycle so that it would not make so much noise as the residents have complained about it.

This reportedly irked Joavan, who allegedly told Dandan that he had a gun before speeding off. The guard said that he did not bother to report the incident.

Dandan, however, said that after Saturday’s incident, he already got scared and decided to report the matter to the police.

PO3 Edwin Alvarado, duty desk officer of TCPO, said that SPO1 Oliver Dacua told Dandan to settle the matter with the barangay.

“Allegations ra man gud ‘tong iyaha. Basin misunderstanding lang ba ‘nya madala ra og solve sa barangay,” Alvarado told The FREEMAN.

The last known incident involving Joavan, who is out on bail for previous brushes with the law, was in March when he was accused of intimidating and hitting two pump boys and a security guard at Shell station in the same barangay.

Joavan, who was driving the same vehicle, went to the said station to have the vehicle’s tank filled, but allegedly got irked after Rodel Requina and Rolando Nara, the pump attendants, refused unless there was approval from the mayor.

In July 2008, he was accused of brandishing a firearm before a pump attendant of the Petron station in barangay Lawaan I for the same reason that he was refused to be given fuel, as he had no note from the mayor that authorized him to get fuel on credit.

Barely a month after that incident, he allegedly got mad again at two pump boys of the same gas station also for similar reason, despite the fact that he already had a note from his father.

In that incident, he allegedly threatened to blow up the gas station.

There was however no case filed against Joavan for any of these incidents.

Also last March, the mayor’s son made the headlines after he bragged to a guard on duty at IAU Tower in Cebu City that his friends with high-powered guns were coming.

He reportedly made such announcement after the said guard had asked them to leave the place as per order of the owner.

Joavan was there to celebrate his 27th birthday with his friends.

A SWAT team came to the area after the guard reported the matter to the police, but Joavan only came out when they had left the area.

Joavan was also involved in a traffic incident a few weeks ago in Talisay City, but the complainants also refused to pursue charges against him. —/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)