Stolen cellphone payment
for sexual favor: suspect

A theft suspect arrested by the police in Bacolod City Thursday evening, yesterday claimed he just took the cellphone of a Bacoleño as payment for sexual favors.

Arman Pajarito, 24, of Grandville Subdivision, Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod, said he just took the P30,000 ASUS P525 cellphone of Rolen Liboon when the latter failed to pay him for sexual favors that he gave.

Pajarito was arrested by Anti-Robbery Task Group members SPO1 Rommel Baculle, PO2 Clint Ferrer, and PO1 Carlos de la Cruz near the 888 Chinatown Square at Gatuslao Street, Bacolod, at about 8:10 p.m. Thursday, police records show.

A 10-inch bladed weapon was allegedly recovered from him by the officers but Pajarito denied it, saying it was planted and that he was arrested near the Central Market and not near the 888 Chinatown Square.

Liboon, 27, of Rose Lawns Road, Brgy. Bata, Bacolod, told the police Pajarito, whom he later identified through a photo at the gym  frequented by the suspects, snatched his cellphone outside a gasoline station at the corner of B.S. Aquino Drive-Lacson Street, at about 5:10 a.m. on March 1.

Pajarito, however, said Liboon had asked him to have sex at a vacant lot at 22nd Street, Bacolod, saying he will just “take care” of him.

After the transaction, however, Liboon allegedly failed to pay him, prompting the suspect to get the cellphone from his hand, which he gave to a friend who sold it for P4,000, Pajarito said.

Liboon had denied Pajarito’s allegations when they met at Police Station 2 Thursday, precinct commander, Senior Inspector Luisito Acebuche said.

While the sexual transaction between Pajarito and Liboon may or may not be true, Acebuche said, the fact remains that the suspect took the complainant’s property without his consent.*PP

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Man cleared of drug raps

An illegal drug suspect in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, was acquitted yesterday by Regional Trial Court Branch 61 Judge Henry Arles for the illegal seizure of the evidence against him.

Jude Juanico, alias “Odi,” was cleared of violating Section 16 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 by Arles, citing the inadmissibility of the 15 marijuana plants presented by the prosecution against him in court.

In his seven-page decision, Arles said that the members of the Negros Occidental Police Office assigned under the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency who uprooted the illegal plants violated Juanico’s constitutional right against unreasonable searches and seizures under Section 2 of the Bill of Rights.

Under Section 3 of the Bill of Rights, the evidence was therefore, inadmissible for any purpose or proceeding, he added.

The officers told the court that the marijuana plants were growing inside the compound of Juanico in Purok Paraiso, Brgy. Hilamonan, Kabankalan City on Jan. 16, 2005, and that they took them on the basis of the plain view doctrine when they saw them as they passed by on the way to an operation.

Arles, however, pointed out, that since the illegal plants were uprooted from inside Juanico’s compound, which had a fence, the officers should have applied for a search warrant first because the prohibited drugs were considered to be part of his residence.

There was also no sufficient reason to believe that the marijuana plants would be uprooted on that same day, Arles said.

“In acquitting the accused, the court is not saying he is lily-white or pure as driven snow. Rather, we are declaring his innocence because the prosecution’s evidence failed to show his guilt beyond reasonable doubt,” Arles said.*PP

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Bomb threat a hoax: PNP

Authorities appealed to the public to avoid making prank emergency calls as they could cause inconvenience and harm to other people after two unknown callers alerted the police and fire fighters of false bomb and fire alarms yesterday.

Police Station 6 commander, Chief Inspector Ulysses Ortiz, said pranksters should also consider the effect of their actions on innocent people who get caught in false emergencies like the bomb threat at Mandaue Foam Industries at the corner of Gonzaga-Lopez Jaena streets, Bacolod, at about 11 a.m. yesterday.

After an hour, the Coast Guard K9 unit and the Bacolod police bomb personnel declared the building clear of any explosives, Ortiz said.

Store manager Gloria Lim said the threat that came from a male caller was the first in their eight years of doing business in Bacolod but it did not affect their operations.

Lim also said they did not know of anyone who may hold grudges against them.

Meanwhile, FO3 Harry Fernandez of the Bureau of Fire Protection said the false fire alarm relayed to them had caused a stir among residents of Brgy. 12 yesterday.

The caller informed 117 emergency services that a fire was in progress in Purok Santol, Brgy. 12 but it turned out no purok of this name exists, Fernandez said.*PP

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