HPG recovers three more "hot cars"

CEBU, Philippines - Three more cars suspected to have been stolen were recovered by the Regional Highway Patrol Group-7 from the house of a businessman, earlier found with a suspected stolen vehicle, during a search conducted in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, yesterday.

The cars retrieved were a black Mini Cooper, with license plate number UAI 660, a black Toyota Prado, and a brown Toyota Hilux.

It was already the second operation against Jovel Entote, whose wife, Mary Anne, was questioned after.

Jovel, who was said to be the owners of the alleged hot cars retrieved in his house, is now detained in Manila for qualified theft which is a non-bailable offense.

He will be brought to the issuing court for the warrant of arrest.

While only the mini cooper had a license plate number it was still in question as the plate number is not officially registered with the Land Transportation Office.

“The plate number is not yet existing,” said lawyer Edwin Engay of the Highway Patrol Group.

The plate number has yet to be verified and compared since according to Engay, the lawyers of Mary Anne also have the registration papers of the vehicles.

According to Engay, RHPG conducted an anti-carnapping operation in Bacolod City before, and a Toyota Grandia was recovered. They found out that the car was stolen in Quezon City.

In their investigation, the possessor of the Grandia bought the vehicle from Entote.He said that the vehicle already had a report that it was stolen that is why the RHPG conducted a follow-up investigation and the same witnesses came out years ago when the said Grandia was stolen in Quezon City.

They conducted a series of investigations and the trail led to Entote.

“We were able to determine that he has in custody many vehicles that have no registration and the other vehicles have an LTO license plate which is not officially assigned for that vehicle,” Engay said.

As of the moment, they are still in the process of investigating Jovel to determine the extent of his involvement in carnapping operations.

Lawyer Noel Archival said his client his being harassed.

“Gidugay-dugay nila ang kaso just to harass. It was not proven with concrete evidence that my client, was arrested in the act of committing a crime,” Archival said.

The Entote camp claimed that their documents are complete which proves there was no carnapping.

“It’s a product of hard work, determination in order to earn money,” Archival said.

He denied that his client is a big time syndicate since he was just being suspected.

Archival said last Dec. 16, 2011, the complainant filed a case against his client, but it was not stated that he was part of a bigtime syndicate. 

The case filed was about the transfer of plates and Archival further said that it was filed at 22 Samson Road, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City in order to suppress his client.

“I challenge the Highway Patrol Group to tell the truth, for him to rectify the sins committed by these personnel, that my client is a part of the members of the big time syndicate,” Archival said.

“I’m challenging them to apologize to the Entote family and their relatives that their allegation is not true,” Archival added.

Meanwhile, the RHPG also filed a case against the couple before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office for their alleged failure to register their vehicles. Yesterday, the RHPG brought Mary Anne before the Prosecutor’s Office for inquest proceedings. She was assisted by her counsels Archival and Kim Mendoza.

The complaints were charged for violation of Section 3 of Republic Act 6539 known as Anti-Carnapping Act- for failure to register the motor vehicle engine, engine block and chassis number of a BMW and a violation of Section 17 of RA 4136 as amended by Batas Pambansa 43 for transferring a plate number without permit from the Bureau of Land Transportation.

During the inquest proceedings, Prosecutor Joseph Val Carillo found no evidence to support the warrantless arrest.

“There is insufficient evidence that respondent was arrested in the act of committing a crime or under any situation justifying a warrantless arrest,” order reads.

“In other words, the complaint is not proper for inquest proceedings but rather under regular preliminary investigation,” the order further reads.

Carillo then ordered the release of Mary Anne from detention unless there was some other ground for her continued detention.

In an interview, Carillo said the complaints were not dismissed but filed for preliminary investigation.

He added with that the complaints will be raffled to another prosecutor and the respondents will be given the opportunity to answer the complaints.

Complaint

In the complaint filed by Chief Insp. Eduardo Mara, he alleged on Aug. 9, 2012 together with other police units they served and implemented the search warrant issued by Judge Alexander Acosta against the respondents.

Mara added the respondents were in possession and control of different plate numbers which were attached to motor vehicles which were not intended for it. He said previously Jovel was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by the Quezon City RTC Branch 92 for the same incident.

Mara said on Aug. 9, 2012 at 2 p.m. they seized an unregistered red BMW Sedan with no plate number attached. The said vehicle was parked at the basement parking area of 23 Diamond Circle St. Michael Village, Barangay Banilad.

He added they brought the vehicle and Mary Anne to their office for investigation after the latter failed to present Land Transportation Office registration documents and original plate numbers of the vehicle.

Last Friday, Archival said a petition for Writ of Habeas Data was filed questioning the legality of the detention.

Yesterday, the Writ of Amparo was filed as supplemental to the writ of habeas data for security purposes of the couple’s children. Mendoza said their client were alarmed by the presence of RHPG agents armed with firearms roving around their place.  - THE FREEMAN