For Guiness Book: A day of crimes and deaths

by Dave M. Suyao

Butuan City (10 March) — In a day, Police Regional Office 13 has recorded three heinous crimes and another two illegal activities that occurred in Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Butuan city.

Rico Moreno, truck helper of Coca Cola delivery truck and a resident of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur reported to Lianga Municipal Police Station that they were robbed by three unidentified men wearing bonnet armed with three .38 caliber revolver and a hand grenade while on their way to Barobo, Surigao del Sur from their warehouse in San Francisco Agusan del Sur at 2:00 PM of March 8. Taken from the victims were cash money amounting to P10,000 and a bag containing their personal belongings. On the evening of that same day, the same suspects again held up Soyen Lao, sales manager of Sun Pride Food Corp. and his driver Tito Anib at the same place where the Cocal Cola truck was held up. Taken from Lao and his driver were cash money amounting to P12,000, a Sony Ericsson cellular phone amounting to P37,000, a Seiko Kinetic watch worth 19,800, a college ring worth 5,000 and wallet with P300.00 inside. The case is now under investigation pending the filing of cases in court.

Early morning of that same day, Jefferson Eliot of Poblacion Trento was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen riding on a motorcycle using .45 caliber pistol while on his way to Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, riding on his own Kawasaki motorcycle. The victim suffered four bullet wounds in different parts of his body that resulted to his immediate death. Trento Municipal Police Office is now conducting thorough investigation of the crime.

In Butuan City, Joe Esteranta, 49 years old, a resident of Lopez Jaena Extension and Amado Culima of R. Calo Street were collared by the police led by P/Insp. Domingo Lucero of the PNP vice control section while receiving bet money from their customers in two separate incidents. Taken from the possession of arrested persons were bet money amounting to P1,300 and swertres paraphernalia. According to the police, appropriate charges were already filed in court.

In Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte, police intelligence operatives and fishery wardens confiscated four boxes of small fish locally known as “deslo”, with market value amounting to P3,000, from the possession of suspects inside their fishing boat, while conducting operations against illegal fishing. Appropriate charges are now being prepared for the suspects by the Cabadbaran municipal police office.

It can be recalled that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has declared the sea of Barangay Kalibunan as fish sanctuary and has deputized the fisher folks into fishery wardens to safeguard the sanctuary.

In another incident, one Joel Lasite, an employee of Green Bank in San Francisaco, Agusan del Sur died at the D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital in Patin-ay, Prosperidad after a vehicular accident. Lasite’s motorcycle collided with a passenger tricycle in front of Xavier College at Barangay 5, San Francisco. He was pronounced dead by the attending physician after few hours of fighting for his life.

Another accidental death happen when Francisco Jungco, head teacher of Santiago Elementary School in Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norter hired Alvin Jomoc, a 20-year old young man to trim the branches of a mahogany tree inside the school campus. While doing the job, Jomoc fell from the tree and was immediately brought to the hospital. But luck did not favor Jomoc. He was pronounced dead when his body arrived at the hospital by the attending physician.

Indeed, crimes and accident happen in just a split of seconds! All the incidents above happened in just a day. It was March 8, 2006. (PIA Caraga)