Caloocan congressman’s son charged with theft

Police filed charges of theft last Saturday against a Caloocan congressman’s son and a cohort for allegedly stealing used truck parts from a barangay councilman.

Chief Inspector Jose Valencia, Caloocan City police station investigation branch chief, said Luis Asistio Jr. was implicated by one of his two cohorts. Asistio is a son of Caloocan Rep. Luis Asistio.

According to Valencia, at around 3:30 p.m. last Friday, three men using a forklift and an Elf truck carted away a differential assembly and an I-beam assembly in front of a warehouse on Baltazar Street in Barangay 69.

The warehouse is owned by barangay councilman Robert Lures, who is in buying and selling used auto and truck parts.

One of the men, 32-year-old Orlando Chua, was arrested shortly by barangay security men led by Lures. A witness, Carlos Seguerra, identified Chua as one of the three men who stole the truck parts.

Chua led the councilor to a junkshop on 9th Street, located between 7th and 8th avenues, where they sold the stolen truck parts for P60,000.

The junkshop owners, Cristina Yu and Margaret Molina, returned the stolen truck parts to Lures, police said.

Lures, 52, told the police that Chua had pointed to Asistio as one of his two cohorts.

Valencia said theft charges were filed against Asistio and Chua with the city prosecutor’s office.

Asistio’s father has declined to comment on the complaint against his son and has left it to the justice system.

"I’m encouraging the complainants to file a formal complaint and if they have no lawyer, I’m even willing to give them one," he told The STAR.

The younger Asistio was recently arrested in Pampanga along with four others allegedly for a kidnapping attempt and for violating the election gun ban.