Town councilor, wife fight burglars, hurt

A FORMER vice mayor and now a councilor of Tabuelan was wounded after he fought with thieves who entered his store last Sunday.

Six boys were arrested because of the incident.

They allegedly store from a general merchandising store owned by Silvestre Momo, 68. The store is located in the house of Momo.

Momo is a town councilor in Barangay Poblacion, Tabuelan, Cebu. He is also a former vice mayor of the town.

His wife Larena Momo, 62, also sustained injuries on the head, said Insp. Roberto Hugo, head of Tabuelan Police Station.

Police identified the suspects as John Clyde Pude, 20, and Junrey Lampago, 18. The four others were minors, who are ages 15 and 16.

Window Hugo told Sun.Star Cebu the robbery happened at 2:30 a.m. The suspects destroyed a window grill at the second floor of the house by using a steel pipe.

After destroying the grill, one of the minors

The suspects, who include minors, enter the store by destroying a window grill using a steel pipe

entered the house and opened the door. Pude went inside and took the P6,250 from the cash drawer.

But some of the coins fell on the floor, which was heard by Flor Mondejar, 43, the househelp.

Punched Mondejar told Momo about it. Momo went downstairs to check. He saw the suspects and fought with them.

Pude punched Momo in the head.

Pude also slammed Momo’s wife, who followed her husband downstairs, against the wall.

Pude also kicked Mondejar before finally leaving. Momo called alerted the police, who arrested Pude in a pursuit operation.

The five other suspects ran away, but surrendered to authorities at 9 a.m.

Hugo said one of the suspects’ friends, who was supposed to go with them, told the town councilor of the group’s plan to rob Momo’s store.

“Mao ‘to nabulabog na didto. Ni- surrender na lang sila (They had no choice but to surrender),” he said.

A complaint of robbery was filed against the group yesterday at the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

The minimum age of criminal liability in the Philippines is 15.

Republic Act (RA) 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, states that offenders who are 15 to 18 years old shall be free from criminal liability and be subjected to an intervention program under DSWD, unless there is proof the minor acted with discernment.

Though four of the suspects were minors, Hugo said, they received a certificate from DSWD that the boys, who are beyond 15, committed the crime with discernment.

“Mga notado na sad ni sila. Naa na sad ni’y nabiktima sa una (They are noted thieves),” he said.