Joavan indicted for robbery
By Ador Mayol
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:06:00 03/02/2011
Robbery charges were filed in court against Joavan Fernandez who was accused of firing a gun at a store attendant in Talisay City after refusing to pay for two bottles of soft drinks.
Bail was recommended at P10,000.
An arrest order will be issued soon unless the troubled son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez pays the bail quickly.
Joavan was indicted by the Talisay City Prosecutor’s Office.
The case stems from an incident last Dec. 15, 2010 when Joavan got two bottles of Coke Litro from store clerk Caminadi Paran who works in the cooperative store in Vista Grande Subdivision.
The prosecutor’s office found no probable cause to hold Joavan liable on separate charges of possession of illegal drugs and paraphernalia.
Talisay City Assistant Prosecutor Jenelyn Forrosuelo said the place where the search was conducted does not belong to Joavan.
On the robbery charges, Joavan will be facing arrest after the case is raffled to a handling judge.
In his complaint, Paran said the mayor’s son fired a gun at him after refusing to pay for his purchases of two bottles of Coke Litro last December.
Joavan dropped by the store on board a red Kia Sportage sports utility vehicle.
Joavan, who was in the driver's seat, waved his hand to signal that he wanted to buy Coke.
After receiving two Coke Litro bottles, the mayor's son didn't pay.
Instead, he pointed a gun at the attendant saying, “Unsa man ka, pamasaker ka (What are are? Do you want to be massacred)?”
Paran said a gunshot was fired near him.
He said he was so scared that he allowed Joavan to leave without paying.
Paran later went to the police to report the incident.
The store clerk, accompanied by the police, went to the mayor’s hilltop resthouse called House of Prayer and found the red Kia Sportage parked outside and four persons.
But Joavan was not in the area.
Instead, the police found drug paraphernalia including lighters, tinfoil sheets and two plastic sachets of suspected shabu.