DCPO gets P100T for robbers' fall

DAVAO City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte handed over more than P100,000 to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) as a reward for the swift capture of suspects in a bus robbery that led to the murder of a policeman last week.

Duterte lauded the police for the capture of most of the perpetrators who were presented to him at the DCPO conference room Monday night.

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Five of the eight suspects are currently detained at the DCPO jail while another, who is pointed as the mastermind and the one who shot SPO1 Ronie Panganiban, was killed in a follow up operation at the suspect's house in Bajada on September 2.

"I am happy the killer, patay, the co-conspirators captured so muhatag ko more than P100,000 reward to the police from a grateful city," Duterte said.

The suspects presented were identified as Eduardo Getegan Priete alias Eddie; Efren Serdilla Manguray, alias Itud; Rene Gulane Oracion, alias Nene; who were arrested on September 4 in Bankerohan.

Couple Cirilio and Carmen Alfeche, whose house was used by the suspect in planning the robbery, were arrested in September 6 at their house in Km. 20 Los Amigos.

A suspect Ricky Pardillio, alias Arpat, was shot when he reportedly open fired prompting the police to shoot him. Pardillo was tagged by other suspects as the mastermind of highway robbery and one who pulled the trigger on Panganiban.

Duterte also gave an expensive watch to the policeman who shot Pardillo. DCPO refused to name the policeman, who is a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat).

Mayor Sara Duterte, during the first meeting of the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) last September 2 at the Davao City Investment and Promotion Center in Magsaysay Park, said the well-performing police should be given rewards.

Senior Supt. Rene Aspera, DCPO chief, said it is the inherent duty of the police to perform at their best with or without rewards.

Aspera obliged though when Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte announced Monday that he will give the DCPO a reward.

Aspera said the case reward will be used to enhance DCPO's investigation mechanism.

Meanwhile, the mayor congratulated the police for the swift capture of suspects and urged the public "to respect their police officers for their hard work." (Jade C. Zaldivar)