Talisay thief indicted

CEBU, Philippines - A man was convicted by the court for stealing appliances from a house in Lagtang, Talisay City in 2012.

In his six-page decision, Judge Gilbert Moises of the Regional Trial Court Branch 18 held Randy Babaso criminally liable after sufficient evidence was found against him.

“There is no question that the accused committed robbery with force upon things when he broke the glass window of the comfort room to gain entry into the main house, which was not intended for entry or egress,” the decision reads.

Moises sentenced Babaso to four to eight years in prison.

On May 12, 2012, Miraluna Burgos, caretaker of the house owned by Jocelyn Roflo at Kishanta Subdivision, Lagtang, Talisay City, said that she was visiting a neighbor when she got a call from security guard Arnold Bacus, who asked her if she had a visitor.

Burgos went back to Roflo’s house and saw things already scattered inside, some items missing, and the window of the comfort room smashed.

Bacus said he saw Babaso carrying a big bag on his shoulder and approaching the gate, prompting him to ask the latter where he came from, to which Babaso answered that he just visited Roflo.

Sensing that something was wrong, the guard called Burgos and learned from her that she did not have any visitor in the house.

Bacus held Babaso while waiting for Burgos, who later revealed that some of the appliances at Roflo’s house had already gone missing.

The suspect attempted to escape while the guard talked to the caretaker, but he was stopped by the other guards.

The RTC judge ruled that there was enough evidence to convict Babaso based on the facts of the case.

The court further ruled that Babaso jumped bail and failed to appear during court hearings to supposedly explain his side despite the effort of his counsel to secure his attendance, which only “bolsters the court’s belief of his guilt based on the aged-old principle that flight is an indication of guilt.” — (FREEMAN)