Armed Robbery at J&T Express in Jaro: Two Suspects Identified
ILOILO CITY – The second of the three suspects who robbed J&T Express in Jaro on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Barangay Quintin Salas, Jaro, Iloilo City has been made known to the public.
In a press conference held at the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) with Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Colonel Joeresty Coronica and Captain Lester Oliveros, the OIC of Jaro Police Station, Coronica revealed that the second of the three suspects who held up the said company has been identified through the Rogues Gallery and through informants.
Marlon Edemburgo, a resident of Barangay Benedicto in Jaro who was previously arrested for theft on January 6, 2022, has been identified as the second suspect.
John Mark Lebuna, a 22-year-old resident of Barangay San Isidro in Jaro who was previously arrested for frustrated homicide and attempted robbery on February 7, 2022, was the first to be arrested.
According to the investigation of Coronica and his team, Lebuna was one of the group that included Edemburgo and another 17-year-old male who were all positively armed and had the intention to commit a hold-up. None of them were the mastermind.
Coronica also stated that when Lebuna was arrested, three plastic sachets containing what is believed to be shabu were recovered from his pocket, but no money has been recovered yet. The three suspects were not part of an organized group and were just acquaintances.
Coronica did not rule out the possibility of an inside job or collusion with company employees, but the victim identified Lebuna as one of the robbers who held them up, and he had no connection to the notorious criminals in the province of Iloilo who share the same surname as him.
The ICPO will file robbery charges against the three suspects, including Lebuna, as well as violations of Republic Act 9165. Mayor Jerry Treñas offered a reward of 100,000 pesos, and Congresswoman Jam Baronda offered another 100,000 pesos for information that would lead to the arrest of the two remaining suspects.
