I’M saying this in the wake of the good old fashioned police work displayed by officers and men of the Laguna Police Provincial Office leading in the immediate solution of a robbery-holdup and rape case in Lumban municipality last week.

The case involved two young students who were victimized by two of the suspects along the Lumban-Caliraya-Cavinti Road in Barangay Caliraya in Lumban municipality. ‘Caliraya joyride turns into nightmare as couple robbed, the man beaten up and his girlfriend raped,’ the media reported.

The incident even brought up sad memories of Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, the two UP-Los Baños students in 1993 who were killed in 1993, with Sarmenta being even raped. A deep investigation of the infamous incident conducted by the police led in the arrest and conviction of then Calauan, Laguna Mayor Antonio Sanchez who died while serving his life term at the New Bilibid Prisons on March 27, 2021.

This week, the Laguna PPO headed by Colonel Glenn Silvio of PNP Academy Class 1997 made sure the suspects in the November 11 robbery-holdup, rape and physical injury cases in Lumban would be identified and jailed.

No, there’s no such thing as ‘nanlaban’ here, or the usual case of a handcuffed robbery-holdup and rape suspect being killed while reportedly trying to grab the gun of an officer. This time, the two suspects are alive and will face the prospect of getting the life term upon conviction. Indeed, life is beautiful as PNP chief, General Jun Azurin use to say.

I learned that two of the suspects identified as Danilo Barimbad Jr., a 38-year old construction worker and Joseph de los Reyes,35, a welder have been charged with robbery, frustrated murder and violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 cases before the office of Laguna Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Rhonella Ulip-Layao in Sta. Cruz municipality.

Barimbad was also charged with robbery-holdup and rape while the two other suspects-both their partners identified as Arlene de Leon,40; and Maria Rodelia de Leon,34, were charged for obstruction of justice after they tried to prevent the Laguna police from making progress on their investigation.

The four were arrested in a hot pursuit operation launched by the group of Col. Silvio following a complaint filed by the 18-year old male student and his 17-year old female friend. It turned out that the two were on the lakeside along the Lumban-Caliraya-Cavinti Road in Bgy. Caliraya at 11 p.m. last November 11 when the two male suspects arrived and robbed them of their cellphones at gunpoint.

The two said they were also forced by the suspects to board their tricycle and were taken to a forested area in nearby Bgy. Lewin where the man was beaten and the female victim was raped. Col. Silvio said that the two students also said that the suspects took their mobile phones worth a total of P13,000.

After learning of the incident, Silvio said he decided to personally lead the investigation into the case. He told Police Regional Office 4-A director, Brigadier General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. that during the interview, the male student described the vehicle used by the suspects as a red motorcycle with a sidecar with no glass on its left side.

“The victim’s accurate description of the suspects’ getaway vehicle gave us a breakthrough in our ongoing investigation,” the official said. Around 7 a.m. last November 13, Col. Silvio, joined by members of the Lumban Municipal Police Station headed by Captain Ed Richard Pacana and Laguna PPO officials, Majors Jameson Aguilar, Merben Bryan Lago and Edison Ouano conducted a follow-up operation in Bgys. Lewin and Caliraya bringing with them the male complainant.

The Laguna policemen eventually managed to flag down the suspects’ getaway tricycle while being driven by Barimbad. The suspect was positively identified by the male student as one of the suspects who attacked him and his female friend.

Another follow-up operation at the residence of Barimbad led in the recovery of a broken gun replica, a pink underwear owned by the rape victim and two pairs of slippers owned by the two victims and the arrest of de los Reyes.

De los Reyes immediately broke down after being arrested and pointed to Barimbad as the man who raped the young student. Col. Silvio said the man was crying, obviously fearing for his life although they were not doing anything on him, when he tagged Barimbad as the ‘rapist.’

During the course of the investigation, the two female accused tried to cover-up the real story and interfered with investigators leading to their arrest for obstruction of justice, Silvio said. An owner of a small resort in the area also got the ire of the Laguna police director when he first defended Barimbad from the police.

The resort owner only stopped when Col. Silvio arrived and pointed to him that he could be in trouble with the police and the law for the man he is defending is a suspect in a heinous crime.

The Laguna police director said that a record check showed that Barimbad is a known drug recidivist who has been arrested for violation of RA 9165 on September 25, 2014 and October 25, 2020 respectively.

Silvio, the erstwhile chief of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group -National Capital Region Field Unit before he was designated by Gen. Azurin as Laguna police director told me he became teary-eyed when he met the rape victim and her sister who works in a fast-food store to help feed their family and support their education.

As the famous Edmund Burke said: the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. That was clearly exemplified by the Laguna police this week. Congratulations to all of you.