Police Files

WANTED MAN EVADES ARREST

A WANTED person in Central Visayas with a P300,000 bounty on his head was injured by police in an encounter yesterday noon in barangay Pamutan, a mountain barangay of Cebu City.

Rodrigo Labitad,  who  faces multiple murder charges, escaped in an encounter after he was seen removing soil from his harvested ginger a few meters outside his hideout.

Insp. Bonifacio Garciano, chief of Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB), said the suspect tried to retrieve his guns and explosives in his hideout  when he noticed SPO3 Rene Cerna and PO2 Crisistomo Bayato in the area past 2 p.m.

But police fired at him so he ran away and escaped toward a forested area.

“Mokuha unta siya sa iyang carbin, mao to giunhan nalang og pusil (He tried [Labitad] to get his carbin so we fired at him),” said Garciano.

Police said the suspect was hit since bloodstains were seen on fallen leaves in direction where he disappeared.

“Og nagbrabihan to siya, posibli nga mamatay nato siya (If the wounds are seruious, there’s a chance he will die),” said Garciano.

He said they will check all hospitals where Labitad could possibly be taken for treatment.

Inside the hideout, Garciano said operatives recovered a carbine, three hand grenades, a bonnet, clothes marked with Latin words, and several habak (charms).

On late ’90’s, Labitad was accused of killing his neighbors in Talisay City./correspondent chito aragon

WOMAN FACES TRAFFICKING CHARGES

A WOMAN was charged with two counts of human trafficking for purportedly recruiting a 13-year-old girl for purposes of exploitation.

No bail was recommended for the accused.

The special law’s confidentiality clause prohibits the identification of the victims and suspects in the media.

In his affidavit-complaint, the victim said the accused, who happened to be her neighbor, asked her to meet an American friend last Dec. 14, 2011.

The victim said she and the accused had lunch together before the latter asked her to go with the American to have sex.

The accused allegedly told the victim that she will just be waiting outside the motel.

The victim said she was forced by the accused to accompany him.

She said the accused threatened to leave her alone so she decided to go with the American inside a motel.

The victim said the American grabbed her arm.

She said she asked permission from the American to go to the toilet.

It was then that she managed to ran outside the room.

The accused apologized to the victim the following day.

However, the victim said the accused again engaged her with foreigners for sexual exploitation.

In one instance, she said a foreigner managed to have sex with her.

In his counter-affidavit, the accused denied the allegations.

The Cebu City Prosecutors’ Office found probable cause to indict the accused on charges for violating Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

“The defense raised by respondent which is denial by nature is not only weak but is a matter that has to be threshed out in a full-blown trial and is better appreciated by court,” said Assistant City Prosecutor Liceria Lofranco-Rabillas whose findings was approved by Cebu City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon./REPORTER ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL

MANDAUE BURGLARY

CLOSE to P100,000 in cash and valuables were stolen by unidentified burglars who ransacked an establishment in barangay Cambaru, Mandaue City.

Police said P24,000, three laptops and two cellular phones were stolen from Asia Trading Corp. in A.C. Cortes Avenue.

The firm is owned by Steven Yu of barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

The burglary was discovered by workers who found their things in disarray when they reported for work around 8 a.m. last Monday.

The burglars entered the building by destroying the sliding window at the ground floor, said police.

The incident will be investigated further, said police./REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS