Guard wants more time to answer complaint

CEBU, Philippines - The counsel of security guard Joselyndo Jabagat, who is facing a complaint for qualified theft in relation to the loss of money inside the Cebu City Sports Center after the Sinulog, asked for more time to submit their counter-affidavit.

Lawyer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu filed a motion for extension to file their counter-affidavit before Prosecutor Gandhi Truya yesterday.

Dalawampu asked Truya to give them until Monday to file their counter-affidavit because they only received the other four affidavits of the prosecution last January 24.

Dalawampu reportedly already made a counter-affidavit but recently, they received the affidavit of four more witnesses of the prosecution.

Truya said he will decide on Monday whether to elevate the complaint to the court or to dismiss this for lack of merit.

Jabagat was implicated in the case because he was on duty when the P1.6 million disappeared inside the vault at the admin office of Cebu City Sports Center which was used by the Sinulog Foundation.

Jabagat earlier denied any involvement in the crime. He claimed he was asleep when the burglary happened on January 16, 2012.

He added he never stole the money as he has no key to open the vault.

According to the prosecution witness Manuel Quemada, 32, a utility crew of Sinulog Foundation, on July 16 while having a drinking spree after retrieving the tables and chairs from the command center, Jabagat joined them.

He added while they were still drinking, he informed Jabagat that there was a man who went inside the admin office but Jabagat merely replied the man was punching out of work.

“I informed Joselyndo because he did not leave and just stayed with us. I further told him to close the office he was guarding for safety precautions,” Quemad’s affidavit reads.

Quemada said after five minutes, an unidentified man came out of the admin office carrying something but Jabagat still did not check what it was. (FREEMAN)