Talisay police still hunting Joavan

CEBU, Philippines - The controversial son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez who was accused of robbery and gun-toting last Wednesday remains at large as of yesterday afternoon.

Supt. Henry Biñas earlier said that while the complaint is yet to be filed against Joavan Fernandez, the hot pursuit operation against the mayor’s adopted son will continue. As of yesterday afternoon, the documents needed for the filing of the case against the younger Fernandez were still being prepared by the Talisay City police.

Biñas said that possibly, they will file robbery case, and violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act for the drug paraphernalia found inside Joavan’s room in his father’s “Balay sa Pag-ampo.”

The robbery case is in relation to the incident on Wednesday wherein Joavan took away two liters of Coke from a helpless attendant of Alta Vista Clubhouse.

Raymund Paran, in his affidavit, claimed that at 1:50 p.m., Joavan came at the clubhouse blowing his Kia Sportage’s horn “loudly” and ordered for two liters of Coke.

Irked at being made to wait, as Paran was away from the clubhouse’s store, Joavan allegedly uttered: “Magpamasaker ka, bay?” and at the same time pointed a .45 caliber pistol at Paran.

Joavan allegedly fired the gun pointing at a different direction, and sped off with the items from the store without paying.

Biñas said they may incorporate the grave threats to the robbery case.

Meanwhile, the drug paraphernalia were found inside Joavan’s room at his father’s house of prayer just a few blocks away from the Alta Vista Clubhouse.

The said house of prayer, named “Balay sa Pag-ampo,” is on an uphill area adjacent to a subdivision.

The police went there just minutes after Ederlina Anderson, president of Alta Vista homeowners association, called the police station to report what Joavan did.

Policemen went straight to the house of prayer and saw that the red Kia Sportage was still there. But it took the police almost 24 hours to get inside the house and search for Joavan and the gun he allegedly used in firing, as they had to secure a search warrant from the court first.

After about three hours of searching the “Balay sa Pag-ampo,” where three cars and a motorbike were parked in the garage, and another one inside the house still being repaired, the search team recovered a wig, two empty small plastic sachets, which Biñas described as with “traces of shabu,” aluminum foil, tissue papers, and an improvised tooter made of a plastic cellular phone call card.

Joavan was however not found inside his father’s property.

Fernando de Guzman, a motorcycle-for-hire driver, however told reporters that Joavan had already escaped from the house around 3 p.m. Wednesday by jumping off the cliff and running towards the next village.

De Guzman admitted he was the one who took Joavan to his house in Mansueto Subdivision in Barangay Tabunok. — /WAB (FREEMAN)