Seized with gun, grenade: Joavan arrested in dad’s house

CEBU, Philippines - After a month-long surveillance, Talisay police finally arrested Joavan Fernandez, the notorious and controversial adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, in the mayor's house in Southgates, Barangay Bulacao, Talisay City, around 7 p.m.

Talisay City police chief Supt. Elmer Lim, who personally came to arrest Joavan, said they knew where he was hiding all this time. He said it was just a matter of determining the best time to get him, specifically when Mayor Socrates Fernandez would not be around to intervene.

“Sakripisyo ni siya sa akong kinabuhi… Makatulog na gyud intawn ko,” Lim said in a phone interview.

Lim was armed with an arrest warrant signed by Municipal Trial Court Judge Mario Manayon. The warrant was for a physical injury case filed against Joavan some time ago.

Lim told The FREEMAN they have been conducting surveillance for about a month against Joavan just to arrest him following orders from Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador.

Police already knew that Joavan was being kept by the mayor in his house and they were just waiting for the right time to arrest him. The mayor was not around when police carried out the operation.

Lim said Joavan did not resist arrest as Lim covered him with his 9mm pistol. Confiscated from Joavan was a 9mm pistol with four live rounds and a hand grenade.

“Aw, ug musukol siya pusilon man gyud nako,” Lim said.

Joavan is now detained at the Talisay City police stockade.

Lim said he was dismayed by the protection given by the mayor to Joavan. He said that they expected the mayor to cooperate but instead of heeding their advice, Socrates hid his son from the police.

“Di gyud ni siya angayan makadaug bisan mayor o konsehal kay nganong motago man siya og tao nga kriminal," Lim said.

He added that if Socrates had been around and tried to stop them from arresting Joavan he would have probably arrested him for obstruction of justice.

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Joavan arrested in front of Talisay mayor’s house

Policemen finally caught up with Joavan Fernandez on the doorstep of the house of his father, Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez.

Three weeks after Joavan was the subject of a manhunt for allegedly shooting a watch man outside a car shop in Talisay, he was spotted last night sitting on a curb outside his father’s house in Southgate Subdivision, barangay Bulacao, Talisay City.

The young Fernandez had just arrived on a motorbike with a female companion, said police.

He did not resist arrest after lawmen led by Supt. Elmer Lim, Talisay chief of police, served a bench warrant ordering Joavan’s arrest for a previous case of slight physical injuries.

The warrant was issued by Judge Mario Manayon of Branch 1 of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities.

The controversial son of the mayor, who has been in and out of jail for various offenses, has been the subject of a manhunt after he was charged with frustrated murder before the Talisay City Prosecutor Office.

He was accused of shooting 36-year-old Eduardo Largo Jr., a watchman and brother of the shop owner, last April 12, a Friday.

The mayor had assured Talisay police he would turn over his son on Monday, only to change his mind, saying he would wait for a court warrant.

The mayor maintained that his son is innocent and that he will no longer surrender him to authorities.

Under surveillance

Police said they had placed the mayor's residence in Southgate Subdivision under surveillance.

SPO1 Mike Espina said police noticed Joavan entering the village.

The arresting team was positioned near the house and closed in when Joavan, together with a female companion identified only as Gay-gay, arrived in a motorcycle at around 7 p.m.

Two female police decoys who posed as insurance agents circled the house and gave the arresting team the green light after positively identifying Joavan who was sitting on the curb in front of the mayor's house.

Supt. Lim drove his car and stopped in front of Joavan and showed him the bench warrant before effecting his arrest.

Police said they seized a revolver with several rounds of bullets, a fragmentation grenade, two lighters and foil with cigarettes.

The police will file a complaint for illegal possession of firearms and explosives and violation of the election gun ban against Joavan.

Joavan refused to show himself in the jail when reporters arrived. He stayed deep inside a cell and would only speak aloud when asked questions.

In an interview, Joavan said the gun, grenade and other items were “planted” by the police.

He also claimed that Supt. Lim hit him three times in the face while they were riding in his car.

A slight commotion ensued at the police station where Joavan was taken after a man identified as a companion of Mayor Fernandez tried to block Cebu Daily News photographer Lito Tecson from entering the detention center.

“Dili pwede mosulod diri (No one is allowed to enter),” the man said as he tried to shut the door.

Mayor Fernandez, who was already inside, also accosted the CDN photographer.

“Nganong wala man ka mananghid na ma-micture ka nako?” (Why were you taking my picture without asking my permission?) The mayor then took a closer look at Tecson's press I.D. card and tried to grab his camera.

“Ayaw pag-ingon ana, mayor kay dili man imo ning camera,” the photojournalist said. (Don't do that, mayor. You don't own this camera.)

Mayor Fernandez then threatened to file a complaint before the Commission Human Rights.

“Ireklamo ta ka sa Human Rights,” he said.

How to detect jammers? Check phones, voters told

Cebu voters can help detect the presence of jamming devices in their polling precincts by checking their cell phones, the regional National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said yesterday.

“Check your mobile phones. If you can't call or send a message in your phone even if the signal in your area is strong, then it's possible that someone is using a jamming device,” NTC Regional Director Jesus Laureno said.

Laureno showed some jamming devices that NTC personnel confiscated from an electronics shop in downtown Cebu City. He spoke during a security meeting with police, military and Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials yesterday.

He showed a device slightly bigger than a Wi-Fi router with four antennae.

Laureno said the jammer's range could reach several kilometers.

“All electronic devices within its radius won't receive a signal,” he said.

A smaller jamming device can disrupt signals 10 to 20 meters near it.

Laureno said these devices made in the US, China, Hong Kong and Singapore and were being sold for P15,000 to P20,000 each. “So far, we only seized a unit in one store but usually, they are sold in electronic shops. That's why we are investigating that in our routine inspection,” Laureno told reporters.

Regional Comelec Director Temie Lambino said while these devices can block and delay the transmission of election results, they won't affect the election data stored in the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines used for voting.

He said many polling precincts experienced delay in the transmission of results in the 2010 elections.

Contingency plans are already in place if ever signals get jammed, Lambino added.

He said one alternative is to transmit voting results using the signal from a Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) and Very Small Apperture Satellites (VSAS).

He said the jammer's frequency will only affect the signal from telecom networks like Smart, Globe and Sun but not from the BGAN and VSAS.

“If the PCOS cannot transmit, we can use manual transmission,” Lambino said.

He said those planning to use jamming devices near polling precincts are only wasting time because they can be easily traced by the police and military authorities.

Anyone caught using a jamming device on election day faces criminal charges and a jail sentence of seven to 12 years. “We have complete security operations. We are 101 percent ready,” he added.

NBI tells camera operator Show up, tell your story

WHERE is Jeffrey Aquino? That's what the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) wants to know as it invited the security camera operator to tell his account of the death of shopper Mario Alfie Ducayag. “He was eager at first (to cooperate in our investigation). I don't know what happened to Aquino. I hope he will come forward and make good on his word,” NBI-7 Agent Bernard dela Cruz told reporters yesterday.

Aquino's lawyer Salvador Solima said he has not seen nor communicated with his client since he was arrested last week then released the next day by police. Solima urged Aquino to cooperate with the NBI in its investigation on Ducayag's death.

“I'm calling on Aquino to heed the NBI's request for him to come out and tell the truth. See what has happened now. Aquino has been pointed to as the one who killed Ducayag,” the lawyer said.

Solima asked the family to convince Aquino to appear before the NBI.

Cebu Daily News tried to contact Aquino by phone but he didn't answer the calls. A text message sent to him was also left unanswered.

The 31-year-old employee of Gaisano Metro Colon was accused by two store security officers as the one who mauled Ducayag for failing to produce a receipt for a pair of sandals in his possession.

In a previous interview, Aquino accused the department store's chief security officer Mauricio Doblados of killing the suspected shoplifter.

Regardless of the testimonies of those who had custody of Ducayag, dela Cruz said they have other evidence to prove what really transpired inside the security office of Gaisano Metro Colon where Ducayag was mauled last April 12. Dela Cruz said he's about to finish the investigation and that charges will be filed this week against those responsible for Ducayag's death.

“We're almost done. But I won't say who the respondent/s will be. We will file the case based on evidence on hand which includes the CCTV footage, accounts of witnesses and the time element involved here,” he said.

While there were a handful of persons inside the security office when Ducayag was mauled, dela Cruz said the NBI needed clear evidence.

“We can't do a shotgun filing of cases just because they were there. If you didn't participate in the crime, you should be protected. We have a law against malicious prosecution. We will file the case based on evidence,” he said.

Aquino, the security camera operator, in an earlier interview said he handcuffed the shopper on orders of Doblados and later saw how the young man was allegedly beaten up by the security officer.

He said the victim was punched three times on the chest until he was unconscious and then whipped with an electrical cable.

Aquino was by the Cebu City police last April 28 but was released a day after due to the refusal of Ducayag's family to file charges against him as they believed the police case was weak.

Ducayag's family, who earlier tapped the NBI's assistance, were wary of the police’s autopsy report that said the shopper died of “asphyxia due to pulmonary tuberculosis”, which was later disputed by the NBI autopsy.

Yellow Submarine told to submit results of in-house inquiry

PRESSED to explain a coral rock mishap with their Yellow Submarine, Korean operators wrote to Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza – but forgot to include supporting documents.

The Lapu-Lapu City Legal Office ordered the management of Cebu Yellow submarine and Undersea Tour Corp. to send attachments mentioned in their written reply.

Yuri Benluan of the Lapu-Lapu City Legal Office said the mayor's office found insufficient the management's written explanation about last month's incident that was videotaped and uploaded by a Japanese diver on YouTube.

Mayor Radaza last April 29 issued a cease and desist order against the operator and required them to explain why their business permit, which she suspended, should not be revoked.

General manager Kim Jun and Lee Dong Gun, President and CEO, in their letter said that contrary to earlier reports, they already submitted a written reply on the incident to the mayor's office on April 29 before she issued the cease and desist order. They said they received the notice of violation issued by the City Administrator on Friday, Apr. 26 and sent their reply two days after.

In their May 1 letter, the Korean businessmen said they were attaching the results of their in-house inquiry with their written explanation given during a press conference also on the same day.

“We are one with the City of Lapu-Lapu in promoting tourism, as it was our intention in bringing here the first and only tourism submarine in the country, and at the same time protecting our environment. We will cooperate and comply with the city’s present and future requirements in protecting the environment,” they wrote.

A clerical error must have occured.

Benluan said they received the letter nt last May 2 without any attachments.

He said this leaves their reply invalid but that the management will be given another day to send the papers.

Yellow Submarine officials earlier denied that their seacraft hit any corals in Mactan, adding that the diver’s video posted on YouTube was misleading as the “cloud of dust” seen in the tape was actually caused of propeller motion and not proof of impact.

Benluan said the mayor's office will review their papers and the recommendation of the Maritime Industrial Authority (Marina) and the Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu before deciding whether or not to lift the suspension.

Last Saturday, Coast Guard personnel inspected the Kontiki Drop and took footage of the damaged coral walls located 20 meters deep. Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza

No rebuilding in Mahiga Creek, Mandaue settlers told

Fire victims of sitio Sapa-Sapa Dos, barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City won't be allowed to rebuild their homes within the three-meter easement zone along the Mahiga Creek.

City Legal Officer Giovanni Tianero said the displaced families should transfer to the 6.5 hectare relocation site in barangay Paknaan because the creek is a danger zone and should be cleared of any houses or structures.

The relocation site could accommodate 1,200 households and is intended to house beneficiaries who live in the city's danger zones. Tianero said his office will coordinate with barangay officials in preventing settlers from rebuilding on the site.

“Wala pani sila naka balhin kay ilahang gihulat ang demolition team pero na clear naman ni mao amoa nalang gi-awhag sila nga mubalhin nalang (They haven't transferred yet because they were waiting for the demolition team but the area is already cleared so we advised them to transfer),” he said.

At least 36 house owners or 261 persons were left homeless by the fire that razed 13 houses in sitio Sapa-Sapa Dos last Thursday afternoon. Mandaue City fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

The barangay council earlier approved a resolution asking the Mandaue City government to extend financial assistance to the fire victims that will be channeled through the Philippine Red Cross.

Manatad said the number of fire victims were not enough to declare the sitio under calamity status but said city officials can still access their quick response fund.

In Cebu City, three fires hit barangays Pahina Central, San Nicolas and Zapatera yesterday.

Fire investigators pegged the fire damage at Pahina Central at P250,000 while damage caused by the fire that hit the stock room of the Zapatera National High School was worth P50,000.

Chief Insp. William Tacaldo, Cebu City fire marshal, said the second floor of the two story building owned by Roger Balila in C. Padilla Street, barangay San Nicolas was gutted by a fire.

The second floor was rented by a certain Anthony Wang who sells surplus TV sets.

The fire broke out 12:15 noon and was put out 20 minutes after. No one was injured.

Some Koreans and other Chinese businessmen rented floors in the building.

Talisay vendors pin hopes on transfer to old market

TALISAY City Hall officials have a lot of work to do to make the old Tabunok market building suitable for re-occupation by vendors and stallholders.

The building lacks adequate water supply, and has a dilapidated roof and poor drainage.

Its toilets are unfit for use, said .Domincos Fernandez, one of 17 workers assigned to clear the public market. The market building's walls pose a threat to vendors and shoppers.

The new Lagtang market building a kilometer away has a better drainage system but vendors still prefer the old location near the national highway in attracting customers.

The clearing operation started last Apr. 30.

“Mag-unsa man nang safety, wa man ta'y makaon (What is safety, if we don't have anything to eat),” market vendor Eugene Abad said. He said customers who live nearby prefer to buy at the Carbon Public Market in Cebu City. Abad said vendors were forced to raise their prices to pay to recover their losses.

He said he hopes they can be transferred after the May 13 elections.

“Ang problema, nahatagan og pagtagad sa eleksyon na (The problem has been given attention due to the elections),” Abad said.

With the market a hot election issue, Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu's 1st district pushed for the re-opening of the old Tabunok public market after consulting vendors in barangay Lagtang.

Gullas, who's running for mayor, earlier said the old market, which was vacated two years ago, needs repairs for its power and water supply and building structure.

He said he intends to convert the Lagtang public market into an extension of the Talisay City College (TCC). Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao