POLICE FILES

POLICE ENSURE MEDIA ACCESS

CEBU media will be guaranteed access to information on cases pending in the Women and Children’s Protection Desks (WCPD) of police precincts in the province.

The WCPD of the Cebu provincial police gave the assurance in the wake of complaints from some local media concerning the difficulty in securing updates on the Lapu-Lapu City bullying case.

In a press conference by several awardee female police officers led by Insp. Catalina Diotay, they said the officers who handled the case may have been new to the job.

The Lapu-Lapu City bullying case involved a 7-year-old boy who died of drowning after being reportedly harassed by several minors, including a 12-year-old boy.

The female police officers said they are willing to provide information provided that confidentiality of the victim’s identities is respected./UP MASS COMM INTERN JOSE SANTINO S. BUNACHITA

WANTED MAN FALLS

A MAN considered as the number six most wanted man in Mandaue City was arrested in barangay Dawis,Talisay City, southern Cebu.

Chuckie Layco was arrested by members of the Investigative and Detective Management Bureau (IDMB) last Thursday afternoon.

Police said Layco is wanted for robbery and had been in hiding for three years.

Police said the man is a member of the “Pate Robbery Gang” whose leader Teresito Ligan alias “Pate” is out on bail.

Police said the other members of the group identified as Ricky Villamaor, Arnel Porras, Ponciano Villamor and Joel Catubay were arrested in separate operations last month./CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA

FIRE DESTROYS MANDAUE HOUSE

A FIRE damaged a rented house in barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City.

Neighbors of Jurilyn Loayan helped put out the fire which broke out past 11 p.m. last Thursday.

The fire started at the second floor of the house.

Loayan said she brought her two children to their room after they watched TV when she saw the foam of the bed on fire.

Loayan sought help from neighbors who rushed to the woman’s house with pails of water.

The quick response of the neighbors avoided major damage since most houses in the area were made of light materials, said FO3 Cipriano Codilla, fire investigator of the Mandaue City Fire Department.

Codilla said sparks from a fluorescent lamp fell to the bed caused the fire.

Property damage was pegged at P50,000./CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA

CONSOLACION BURGLARY

VALUABLES amounting to P132,000 were stolen by burglars when a house in barangay Lamac, Consolacion town, northern Cebu was left unlocked.

A flat screen TV worth P54,000 and a mountain bike worth P78,000 were stolen from a two-story house in El Monte Verde Subdivision.

It was possible that the burglars passed at the back of the house where a door was left unlocked.

The house owner, Alvin Guy, said he used to leave the door unlocked since it is where he passes whenever he goes home late.

Police said it was Guy’s 32-year-old house-helper Mabel Pinson who discovered the burglary around 2 a.m. yesterday.

The incident will be investigated further, said police./CORRESPONDENT RHEA RUTH V. ROSELL