UP Cebu custodian indicted for theft

The Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office has recommended no bail against a custodian of the University of the Philippines Cebu for allegedly stealing items belonging to the university.

Prosecutor II Van Russel Inopiquez held Enrique Dy for trial for qualified theft.

“Complainant’s allegations and pieces of evidence being uncontroverted, the same is given credence and stand unrefuted. It is duly established that respondent is an employee of the UP Cebu assigned at the Computer Science Department and is the duly custodian of the above mentioned items in which he unlawfully took them without the consent of the university,” read Inopiquez’s resolution.

Associate Dean for Administration Dr. Tiffany Adelante Tan alleged that on May 26, 2015 at around 11:45 p.m. Dy stole P800,000 worth of gadgets belonging to the university.

“Some of the faculty members of the Department of Computer Science told me that by his own admission he stole the properties belongings to the complainant, University of the Philippines. We are filing a case for qualified theft,” she stated.

Tan alleged she noticed Dy did not report for duty claiming he has severe stomachache.

One of the university’s faculty members, Ryan Dulaca, noticed that the Macbook laptop placed inside the faculty room cabinet was missing.

When Dulaca asked Dy about the Macbook, the latter reportedly said it was in the Lab Tech room, prompting Dulaca to ask for the room’s key. But Dy allegedly gave him the wrong key.

Tan said after their faculty meeting, they forcibly opened the Lab Tech room but the Macbook laptop was not there.

“When they were able to open the room, the laptop box was there but the Macbook laptop was nowhere to be found. It was decided to also open the vault where the other subject properties are kept because there was already suspicion and to their dismay. The subject properties are indeed missing,” read Tan’s affidavit.

Tan said she was told that when asked to explain, Dy admitted that he got the items and pawned them to the pawnshops because he needed money for his illness.

Tan’s statement was corroborated by Kurt Espinosa, one of the faculty members assigned at the Computer Science Department.

Inopiquez summoned Dy to file his counteraffidavit to answer the allegations filed against him, but Dy failed to submit any.

Thus, he resolved the complaint based on the evidence and held Dy for qualified theft.

“When the unlawful taking is committed by means of grave abuse of confidence, the crime of qualified theft is committed. Respondent in this instant case enjoyed a high degree of confidence with his employer. It was because of the trust that the university had in him that he was in a position and the custodian of the said items.

If it were not for his position as custodian of the above mentioned items, he would not have been in possession of the said items of the university,” Inopiquez said in his resolution.

The missing items include six units of Galaxy Tab 2 with charger; two units of Sony Digicam; four units of iPhone 4S 16GB; seven units of iPad 16GB with charger; two units of Galaxy S3 with charger; three units of Iphone 4S with charger; one Sony WT 191; seven units of Galaxy S3; and two units of Macbook Pro i5 16 GB.