9 bus robbers get jail terms

After more than six years of court trial, five former inmates of the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, two prison guards and two tricycle drivers were convicted yesterday for robbing passengers of a bus along the South Luzon Expressway in 1994.

Judge Stella Cabuco-Andres of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of San Pedro Laguna sentenced each of the accused to suffer imprisonment of a minimum of 12 years and one day to 13 years, nine months and 11 days.

Andres also ordered the convicts to indemnify complainants bus conductress Thelma Andrade the amount of P3,500 and bus passenger Gloria Tolentino, P30,000 and $2,000.

Convicted were former NBP inmates Ernesto Ricalde, Rustico Abay Jr., Ramon Punzalan, Reynaldo Darilag, and Ariston Reyes; NBP prison guards Isagani Espeleta and Cesar Camacho; and tricycle drivers Leonardo Perello and Danil Pascual.

The five inmates were supposed to be locked up in their Muntinlupa prison cells when the robbery on a bus of Kapalaran Bus Line took place along the South Luzon Expressway on Feb. 17, 1999.

Court records showed that prison guards Espeleta and Camacho took six prisoners out of their prison cells hours before the inmates staged the highway robbery. The sixth convict, Ramoncito Aban was later arrested by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDCG).

During the robbery, one of the robbers shot passenger Rogelio Ronillo in the neck. Ronillo survived but did not testify in court.

The court said Espeleta and Camacho aggravated the robbery by taking advantage of their public positions in bringing out prison inmates and equipping them with deadly weapons.

After his arrest, Aban confessed to the robbery and named all his cohorts. He also confessed before Judge Andres during the trial, earning himself a penalty lesser than the eight other accused.

During the trial, five inmates were freed from the National Bilibid Prisons after serving their earlier sentences and were allowed by Andres to post bail.– Rene Alviar