Court finds mother, son guilty in pawnshop heist

CEBU, Philippines - A woman and her son were found guilty of robbing a pawnshop in Barangay Pardo, Cebu City of P1 million worth of jewelry in 2007.

Regional Trial Court Branch 20 Judge Bienvenido Saniel, Jr. meted Allen Ibaño, 58, and her 36-year-old son, Alex, the penalty of six months to 10 years imprisonment.

In his 13-page decision, Saniel held that the prosecution has established the guilt of the two accused beyond reasonable doubt.

“By the nature of their participation in the commission of the robbery – as principals in inducement and as principals by direct participation – it is obvious that there was conspiracy between and among them,” his decision read.

Allen, Alex, and a certain Caniboy Temple, 31, were arrested by the police in Campo Tres, Barangay Jaclupan, Talisay City for robbing an Exquisite Pawnshop and Jewelry branch in Barangay Pardo of assorted jewelry amounting to P1, 047, 850 on April 16, 2007.

Alex, a teacher in one of the universities in Cebu City, was tagged as the mastermind in the robbery.

Allen and Temple reportedly helped Alex in providing logistics, especially the .357 Magnum revolver and the two .38 caliber revolvers that were used in the heist. Temple was later released after the court granted his demurer to evidence and dismissed the complaint against him.

The three were tagged by Rolex Jaboc and brothers Bernard and Alvin Caramihan, all from Calatrava, Negros Oriental, as the masterminds behind the heist in their extra-judicial confessions.

Allen denied being the mastermind but said that a certain Rolex Jaboc implicated her when she was not able to lend him P10,000 for his sick wife. Alex also denied his involvement in the crime and said he did not even know Jaboc.

Jaboc was the first one to be arrested by the police operatives an hour after the robbery and was the one who revealed the identities of his cohorts. He allegedly pointed a gun at pawnshop security guard Dioscoro Madraga.

Jaboc confessed that he arrived from Negros Occidental in the first week of April 2007 to look for a job and stayed with his wife’s sister in Campo Tres, Jaclupan, Talisay City.

Several days after his arrival, he alleged that Alex who lived near the house of his sister-in-law befriended him and invited him to go to his house.

 During that meeting, Alex reportedly discussed his plan to rob the pawnshop. He was also told to look for two other trusted persons that would participate in pulling off the heist.

Jaboc said that Alex and Allen provided them the firearms used in the robbery. Based on their plan, Jaboc said Alex would bring the three of them near the pawnshop to carry out the robbery.

After pulling off the heist, the three would escape by riding a Colon-bound jeepney but would disembark a few meters away from the pawnshop, take a Talisay City-bound jeepney and proceed to the Ibaños’ house in Jaclupan.

However, the plan did not work well because the police were quick to respond resulting in a shootout. — (FREEMAN)