Lie detector tests sought on employees in light of P1.6 M burglary

Charges of qualified theft were filed against a security guard detailed at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) for the past 12 years in relation to the P1.6-million burglary there last Monday dawn.

But Cebu City police officials and Sinulog Foundation Inc. officials believed that the robbery wasn’t done by just one man.

They want the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a lie detector test on all sports center employees.

The tests will also be done on other security guards, said Senior Supt. Ramon Melvin Buenafe, Cebu City police chief.

Buenafe tagged 40-year-old security guard Joselyndo Jabagat as the primary suspect in the robbery.

Jabagat, a resident of barangay Carreta, Cebu City, who’s employed by the Golden Dragon Security (GDS) Agency, filed a waiver of detention after the charges were filed before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office late last Monday afternoon.

Insp. Rolando Pinili, Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) chief, said they already sent communication to the NBI to conduct the lie detector tests.

Key request

Jabagat is said to be assigned at the CCSC’s administration office.

A utility worker, a security guard and a maintenance worker all executed affidavits against Jabagat.

But PO3 Celso Seville Jr. of the TRS said their testimonies were circumstantial.

Seville said Rosita Velasco, a 40-year-old SFI maintenance worker, claimed that Jabagat asked for a key of the Sinulog office hours before the robbery.

She said Jabagat assured her that he will return the key in the morning. But Velasco said she refused to give keys to him.

She said she didn’t give the key to Jabagat but to John Michael Pepito, a Sinulog Foundation staff. Velasco later took the key back.

Utility worker John Eric Quemada also told police that he and other workers were drinking at a nearby warehouse at past midnight when he saw someone entering the admin office.

Clear conscience

When Quemada told Jabagat about it, the security guard supposedly ignored him and said it could have been a worker who punched in early for work.

Quemada said Jabagat would join them in their drinking session twice when the robbery occurred.

A security guard named Allan Ramil claimed that he asked Jabagat not to go home after seeing the vault that contained the cash and valuables open and torn off from the metal filing cabinet inside the office.

Ramil claimed that Jabagat carried a loaded backpack at the time.

A security guard assigned at the center’s parking area named John Eric Carcedo said he went to the admin office to punch in at 3 a.m. but noticed that it was open.

Jabagat later told police that he checked the bundy clock and saw that it was Carcedo who checked in at the admin office at 3 a.m. Carcedo said he punched out at past 3 a.m.

Jabagat said while it was his job to secure the administration, he didn’t rob it.

“My conscience is clear, my only mistake is that I wasn’t able to guard against the burglar/s,” he told Cebu Daily News.

On detail

Jabagat said he was at the media center watching TV at the time of the robbery, but he later clarified that he was at the lobby at the time.

Ballesteros said he backed the conduct of lie detector tests on sports center employees and guards.

Ballesteros said the personnel and security guards who were on detail between 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on the day of the robbery will definitely be included in the investigation and lie test.

Ballesteros said he is also willing to undergo the lie detector test himself.

More than P1.6 million in Sinulog funds were taken by burglar/s at the CCSC office a few hours after last Sunday’s annual Sinulog Grand Parade.

The missing funds include the P880,000 refund from the city government to the Sinulog Foundation Inc. for the subsidy given to the out-of-town contingents.

Also in the vault were P750,000 in cash for Victor Cuenco, the choreographer of the Sinulog-based champion Culturang Placereño of Placer Masbate and P8,000 tickets sales of the Sinulog Grand Parade.

In charge

The vault likewise contained P10,000 in petty cash of the sports center and P11,000 in collection from last Sunday’s Mass that was intended for Sendong victims.

Other stolen cash and items were the P7,000 bonus of CCSC Administrative officer Helen Talisik, a Sony camera worth P9,000 owned by the sports center cashier Anjie Villarojo, 30 US dollars and 3 Hong Kong dollars.

Ballesteros said Jabagat, who served as guard for 15 years at the sports center, is placed in charge of the key to the administration office.

Initial investigation showed there was no forced entry in the office.

The office was already open when a utility worker arrived and discovered the burglary.

Ballesteros said the P880,000 cash was not deposited in a bank because it arrived at the office at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Cuenco decided to leave his money issued to him through check by the SFI because he didn’t want to bring a huge amount of money during the grand parade. The check was encashed by Cuenco.

Ballesteros said SFI gave money to Cuenco for  his  choreographer’s fee for the Sinulog grand finale along with the honoraria for the performers and production staff. With Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol