Witness places 2 people in Fuente robbery scene

CEBU, Philippines - To prove the guilt of the three accused in the botched robbery of a roving bank teller in Fuente Osmeña in 2011 the prosecution presented PO2 Ernesto Silva of the Mobile Patrol Group as their second witness for the criminal case for robbery with homicide.

Yesterday, Silva said he saw suspect Junjun Cabando and his live-in partner Merlyn Laguitao around 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 5, 2011 while he was on his way to the Palace of Justice to file charges against a certain Felix Cañete for theft.

He said while he was driving, PO2 Elrich Catacutan heard a gunshot near a mall in Fuente Osmeña. He said Catacutan asked him to stop and he did.

Catacutan responded to the alarm but was shot.  Another policeman, PO2 Roy Ceniza, was also wounded.

Upon seeing Catacutan was shot, he said he took cover and saw a man who appeared to be wounded get off a motorcycle driven by another man and into a taxicab about 20 meters away.

Inside the courtroom, Silva pointed to Cabando as the man who got into the cab, assisted by his live-in partner Merlyn Laguitao.

After Catacutan was shot, he said he called for backup and they brought Catacutan and Ceniza to the hospital.

Judge Wilfredo Navarro of Regional Trial Court Branch 19 set the cross-examination of Silva to Mar. 5, 2013.  Public attorney Gerry Robertson Mira, counsel of Cabando and Laguitao, is set to cross-examine the witness.

“Due to lack of material time considering there were many cases to be called set another setting for the cross-examination of Silva,” he said.

For another accused, Rolien Castro, lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo said they will no longer cross-examine the witness because he never mentioned Castro in his testimony.

However, he said they will not hesitate to file perjury once the prosecution witness will cite that Castro was in the crime scene. He said Castro was not in the crime scene.

During the said incident two security guards of the said mall were killed and a bank teller and two policemen were wounded. Three suspected robbers were killed after choosing to shoot it out with policemen.  –(FREEMAN)