P1.2M bounty up for Calbayog mayor killer

MANILA -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government has offered a P1.2 million reward to help police in arrest of the killers of Calbayog City Mayor Reynaldo Uy.

According to the Regional Police Community Relations Division in Eastern Visayas, the P200,000 was offered by Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo to those who can give the identity of the suspect, while the P1 million will be given if the suspect is arrested.

Uy, a member of President Benigno Aquino III’s Liberal Party, was attending a public dance last April 30 in Hinabangan town when shot by a lone gunman.

He was dead on arrival at the Divine Word Hospital in nearby Tacloban City.

Eastern Samar Provincial Board member Eunice Babalcon, who was standing next to Uy during the event, was also injured in the shooting.

Upon the President’s instruction last May 1, the Philippine National Police (PNP) formed the Special Investigation Task Group-Uy to dig deeper into the case and bring the mastermind to justice.

The task group led by Eastern Visayas police deputy director for operations Edgar Basbas had earlier identified two vital witnesses who could give their description of the lone gunman.

Basbas said testimonies of the two witnesses were used as basis for a computer-generated sketch to be done by the PNP. (Sunnex)