Joavan faces arrest anew

CEBU, Philippines - The controversial adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez is facing another arrest warrant following his failure to attend the arraignment of his drug case yesterday morning.

Regional Trial Court Branch 57 Judge Enriqueta Belarmino issued a bench warrant against Joavan Fernandez and ordered for the cancellation of his P200,000 bail bond and have it forfeited in favor of the government.

Belarmino ordered the bonding company, Philippine Phoenix Surety and Insurance Incorporated, to produce Joavan within 30 days and to show cause why they should not be held accountable for the accused’s failure to appear.

According to Belarmino, the court had properly summoned Joavan and the bondman to appear in yesterday’s arraignment but none of them appeared.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Cebu City Police Office against Joavan after 20 packs of shabu were recovered from Joavan’s abandoned vehicle in Barangay Carreta last February.

A team of policemen led by Chief Inspector George Ylanan conducted a checkpoint in February 6 to serve a warrant of arrest for malicious mischief against Joavan when the latter refused to stop when flagged down.

A brief chase ensued which ended up with Joavan’s abandoning his vehicle in Carreta. Upon searching the vehicle, the police found 20 packs of shabu, thus, a case for possession of illegal drugs was filed against him. — (FREEMAN)