Guard admits to robbery, shooting

CEBU, Philippines - The security guard accused of robbing a bank in Daanbantayan town and of  killing three people in the process has admitted to the crimes. He  will stay in jail as he faces the charges against him in court.

Provincial prosecutors have found probable cause to charge Berly Cueva-Tudtud with robbery and homicide and recommend no bail for him.

Tudtud was arrested in Sagay City, Negros Occidental Sunday in a joint operation by the Provincial Intelligence Branch of  the Cebu Provincial Police Office and the Sagay Police.

He is being accused of taking P80,000 from Fair Bank where he was guard and of killing fellow security guard Dean Deserto, Deserto’s live-in partner Cecilia Torre, and accounting clerk Jenelyn Megabon.

Torre and Megabon were also workers at Fair Bank.

Tudtud chose not to file a counter-affidavit with the prosecutor’s office and instead chose to answer the charges directly in court. 

Admission

In an interview with media, Tudtud admitted robbing the bank, but said he only took P40,000 and returned P24,000 to the police.

He also admitted killing the victims but said there was nothing personal about what happened. He said he was forced to commit the crime because of financial constraints.

He disclosed that he wanted to borrow P1,000 from Deserto but the latter reportedly refused.

 â€œWala ko’y kalagot ni Dean. Timingan lang nga siya’y ni-duty, kwarta ra gyud unta ang akong tuyo kay para pang-apply nako tapos pang kaon-kaon kay pag December ug Bag-ong Tuig,” he said.

He has since been dismissed from his job. He reportedly went to Mandaue City after the incident and then to Sagay City where he stayed in Barangay Tadlong.

He asked for forgiveness from the victims’ families and said he regrets what he did. He used to be married and has two kids ages seven and six.

He asked that he be provided a lawyer because the police investigation was reportedly questionable.

Investigation

Despite Tudtud’s statement, Provincial Police Director Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac said they are eyeing grudge as motive of  the killing because Deserto was reportedly the reason for Tudtud’s impending termination.

Gillamac said that based on evidence, the crime appeared to be well-planned considering it was committed shortly before midnight on December, perhaps in an attempt to have the bursts of gunfire get muted by the sound of the firecrackers.

“Premeditated gyud. Ang vicinity wala kaayo naka-notice nga naay krimen nga nahitabo. Until such time, the following morning, ang duty guard, nakita na niya nga naa na’y tulo ka patay,” Gillamac said, adding, that they never wasted time in pursuing Tudtud.

“Wala gyud tay gisayang nga panahon kay kahibaw gyud ta nga kun ang kapolisan mohunong ug mawad-an og pag-asa, wala gyu’y mahitabo ug dili gyud madakpan.”

Police Regional Office chief  Supt. Danilo Constantino said the arresting team will receive an award.

“Yung nag-follow up nang kaso bigyan ng award after Sinulog,” Constantino said.

Statements

In a sworn affidavit, security guard Arnel Arrabis said he observed that Tudtud and Deserto had a misunderstanding a few days before the incident.

“I observed that Tudtud for all time displayed unlikable behavior to Dean, in fact I advised Dean not to ride on Tudtud’s behavior to avoid trouble,” the affidavit reads. Arrabis said he learned later that Tudtud wanted to borrow P1,000 from Dean.

Arrabis said Tudtud acted that way because he already knew that he had a pending termination order from the bank’s management due to several lapses in the performance of his duty.

Meanwhile, Antonio Inso said that around 11:45 p.m. on December 31, 2013, he heard a woman shout, “Ayaw sir” and “Ayaw ber” while he was inside his hut located near the bank’s compound. After the shouts, he reportedly heard three gunshots. The following day, he learned from a security guard that three people have been killed at the bank.

Megabon’s parents, Gerardo and Virginia, said their daughter had told them that she needed to work overtime last December 31 because she needed to post the debit of the collection loan payments, as directed by the bank.

The following day, New Year’s Day, they learned that their daughter was already dead.

Autopsy

The autopsy conducted on Deserto and Megabon revealed that they died due to a gunshot wound to the head.

Chief  Insp. Felino Brunia of the PNP Crime Laboratory said only the two were subjected to an autopsy because Torre’s family refused to have her body undergo the procedure.

He said Deserto was hit on his right jaw while Megabon was hit on the right temple. No exit wounds were found on both victims and pellets were recovered from the wound tracks.

Brunia said the victims were shot approximately from five feet away.

“Seconds lang patay na talaga ang mga biktima dahil fatal ang tama,” Brunia said. – Ria Mae Y. Booc, Mylen P. Manto, Michael H. Braga and Jean Marvette A. Demecillo, USJ-R /JMO