Court doubles gang boss’ bail after escape, heist

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City court handling a case filed against an alleged robbery gang leader has doubled his bail after he failed to attend scheduled hearings.

Court records show that Regional Trial Court Branch 81 Judge Madonna Echiverri forfeited the P180,000 surety bond earlier posted by Jonathan Cuya, who is facing robbery-in-band charges for allegedly hogtying a businessman and his family on June 18.

On Tuesday, Cuya escaped police officers sent to arrest him at an Internet café in Barangay Balingasa.

Police arrested five alleged members of Cuya’s group, which gained notoriety for hogtying their victims and looting the household before driving away using stolen vehicles.

Two hours after the failed arrest, it was reported that Cuya – together with another companion – robbed a police officer in Project 6 of his belongings amounting to more than P600,000.

Echiverri ordered the issuance of another arrest warrant for Cuya and set the new bail amount at P360,000.

The order was issued after Cuya, who earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge, failed to appear during the scheduled pre-trial conference on Oct. 22. The pre-trial was reset to Feb. 4, 2014.

Cuya and his group were also identified by a Bureau of Fire Protection official as the ones who reportedly robbed his house last month.