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Wednesday, March 17, 2004
PNP to launch reward system v. loose gun holders in Abra
By Harley F. Palangchao
CORDILLERA Administrative Region (CAR) Police Director Rowland Albano said Monday his office will give a cash reward of P20,000 to any person who can pinpoint to authorities loose gun holders in Abra.
The launching of a reward system came after Chief Superintendent Albano said owners of loose firearms could be behind a series of shooting of barangay officials in the province.
He said three of the 10 murder incidents recorded since late last year were politically-motivated.
The latest victim of the so-called political persecution was Councilman Priscillo Billedo of Barangay Banacao in the capital town of Bangued.
Billedo, who was with wife Susan on board a motorcycle, was ambushed and killed last week along Sitio San Antonio, Barangay Dumayco in Penarrubia.
Albano, on the other hand, said the rest of the killing incidents were results of personal vendetta or family feud.
While he downplayed speculations that there will be more killings in the province ahead of the May 10 elections, Albano said the reward scheme would encourage concerned residents to help authorities determine and eventually arrest holders of loose firearms in the province.
He added the Abra Provincial Police Office hopes to solve Billedo’s killing soon after his office approved the P300,000 cash reward for anyone who could give information with regard the identification and eventual arrest of the councilman’s assassin.
Abrenians, particularly those residing abroad, earlier condemned Gov. Vicente Valera for allegedly not doing anything to help the police stop the series of killings in their province.
Earlier, PNP Chief Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said Abra and the provinces in the Ilocos Region are among areas of special concerns of the PNP and of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) because of poll-related violence resulting to multiple deaths perpetrated the last three elections.
Abra province was put under Comelec control during the 2001 elections. Gun ban exemptions issued to local politicians were also revoked.
(March 17, 2004 issue)
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