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A
prime suspect linked to several robberies in the province,
as well as in Cebu City, was cornered by police operatives
at a checkpoint along the national highway in Talibon last
Thursday noon.
PNP
Prov'l Director Edgardo Ingking identified the suspect as
Joseph Moraga y Nuez, 26, jobless of Barangay San Isidro,
San Miguel town.
Ingking
said that the suspect was positively identified by an eyewitness
of the broad daylight robbery at Unitop last December 28,
wherein more than P500,000 was carted away by Moraga's group.
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He
was likewise involved at the Caltex gasoline station
of Judge Avelino Puracan in Talibon town, TSKI Lending
in Talibon and Jetafe towns and is a suspect in the
holdup of personnel of FCB Foundation carting away P333,000.
Moraga
was also confirmed as the suspect in the robberies at
Du Ek Sam and Lite Shipping, both in Cebu City, earlier
this month, as confirmed by Cebu City PNP Chief Patrocinio
Commendador.
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Moraga,
who was presented to the media by Talibon PNP Chief P/Supt.
Alex de la Cerna admitted to having received P20,000 cash
right after the Unitop robbery. He was positively identified
as the one who grabbed the bag containing more than P500,000
cash from Rufa B. Daigdigan, Unitop cashier, who was on her
way to deposit the cash at an FCB branch last Dec. 28.
Moraga
was on board a motorcycle on his way to board a Cebu-bound
vessel last Thursday when he was arrrested at a PNP checkpoint
which acted upon a tip from an informant.
Seized
from his possession were a .38 revolver without serial number,
a hand grenade and a cellular phone. He was on board a Honda
XRM blue motorcycle without plate number when arrested by
operatives.
ADMISSION
In
his testimony, Moraga named his cohorts, led by two notorious
robbery suspects, Harris Atega, a resident of Poblacion, San
Miguel town, and Albert Almedilla, a resident of Barangay
San Jose of the same town.
Almedilla
was the one who killed the Unitop cashier's escort security
guard, according to Moraga, while Atega was the robbery suspect
murdered in Cebu City last month.
Moraga
also identified the cashier's live-in partner Ruben Raotraot,
resident of Barangay Owac, Bilar town and one Casimiro Garcia
of Barangay Magsaysay, Talibon town.
Raotraot,
who had been previously branded by City Mayor Dan Lim as responsible
for carrying out an 'inside job' operation, is said to be
hiding in Bilar, city police investigators said.
UNITOP
OPERATION
In
his confession, Moraga said he was part of planning the hold-upping
of Unitop cashier Rufa Balingit last December 28 at around
10:45 in the morning along CPG Avenue.
Moraga
recalled he was home in San Miguel on December 27, the day
before the operation, when he was called up by Atega and Almedilla
through his cellular phone.
Atega
allegedly asked him to join them here in Tagbilaran which
he immediately did and on the same day they met at Bo's Coffee
shop at the Island City Mall, where Moraga saw Ruben Raotraot.
Moraga
said he knew Raotraot long before when he was still working
as a waiter at the Cowboy Grill in Malate, Manila. Raotraot
had been a regular companion of Atega and Almedilla and of
one Roy Fernandez.
Atega
allegedly told Moraga that Raotraot was their "insider-informant."
Atega
briefed Moraga about their operation to hold-up the cashier
of Unitop department store the following day.
The
three finalized their planning at Uptown Lodge, where they
slept for the night. A certain Casimiro Garcia later joined
them.
On
the morning of December 28, Atega and Almedilla told Moraga
to pose as lookout near Unitop while Raotraot was positioned
as the second lookout across the department store.
Atega
and Almedilla were positioned in the intersection of CPG Avenue
and M.H. del Pilar Street with Garcia standing by near PMI
Colleges with their getaway motorcycle.
The
five suspects took their positions around 9 o'clock in the
morning.
At
around 10:40 Balingit (Unitop cashier) came out of the department
store with an escort security guard who was gunned down while
trying to protect the cashier.
According
to Moraga, Almedilla was the one who shot the security guard
and the next thing he saw was that the latter was running
with Atega towards Garcia who was already starting their getaway
motorcycle.
Raotraot
and Moraga fled in separate directions. Moraga went to Dao
Bus Terminal after the incident to take a van-for-hire going
to San Miguel.
However,
he was surprised that Atega also rode with him on the same
van and he was given P20,000 as his share of the Unitop loot.
According
to Moraga, he was informed that Almedilla is with gang leader
Roy Fernandez while Garcia is now in Cebu City.
COMMENDATION
As
this developed, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bohol unanimously
passed last Friday a resolution commending De la Cerna and
his teammates for the job well done.
The
resolution, which was introduced by Board Member Jose Veloso,
also lauded PNP Provincial Director SSupt Eduardo Ingking,
who confirmed the arrest of Moraga to the vice-governor.
Gov.
Erico Aumentado also hailed the PNP men for Moraga's arrest,
according to Boy Pernia, chief of the Provincial Government
Media Affairs office. (Kit Bagaipo & Ric Obedencio)
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