MetroBriefs

Maid gets 16-year jail term for theft

A maid has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Pasig judge who found her guilty of stealing money from her employer three years ago. Acting presiding Judge Paz Esperanza-Cortes of the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 154 also ordered Angelica Villanuja to pay back the money she took amounting to P250,000. In her ruling, the judge gave weight to the testimonies of the accused’s employer, Jesulito Petalver, and his brother. Petalver told the court that on March 26, 2008, his maid destroyed the lock of their bedroom door in Riverside, Pasig City, and stole the money which he had set aside for the construction of a new house. He said that the accused had been working for them for a year and enjoyed their full trust and confidence since she was a student of his aunt in Nueva Ecija. In her defense, Villanuja claimed that she was lured by the notorious “Budol-budol” gang to take the money from her employer’s room and bring it to a woman in Monumento, Caloocan City. The judge, however, found her story unbelievable. In a nine-page decision, Esperanza-Cortes said that even without the admission of the accused, her “ambivalence and contradicting testimonies” showed that she was not telling the truth.—Niña Calleja

83-year-old man killed

An octogenarian was found with multiple stab wounds before midnight inside his house in Manila on Sunday. Gregorio Bondoc, 83, a resident of Perla Street in Tondo, was discovered lying bloodied and gasping for breath on the living room floor by his grandson who had been alerted by the continuous barking of their dogs. Bondoc was declared dead on arrival by attending doctors at Mary Johnston hospital from six stab wounds in the body. Police Officer 2 Bernardo Cayabyab of the Manila Police District homicide section said the stabbing took place at around 11 p.m. on Sunday.—Jeannette I. Andrade