|
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Reward doubled for Kato, Bravo's arrest
MANILA -- The government is doubling the reward for the capture of renegade Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders Umbra Kato and Abdullah Saber Macapaar alias Bravo, an official said Friday.
What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the government is doubling the reward to P10 million each.
"We are doubling the reward for Kato and Bravo to help expedite the process of bringing these suspects to justice," he said.
The reward for Kato and Bravo had been initially set at P5 million each.
Both Kato and Macapaar are facing murder cases, along with a string of other criminal charges, for the series of MILF attacks in several municipalities in North Cotabato Province and other towns in Northern and Central Mindanao.
Puno said the government is also putting up a reward of P5 million for information leading to the capture of another MILF leader, Aleem Sulayman Pangalian.
Pangalian was also held responsible for the attacks in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte.
Besides a bounty of P25 million combined for these three renegade MILF leaders, Puno said the government is offering a reward totaling P1.7 million for the capture of the suspects in the bombing of a passenger bus in Digos City, Davao del Sur Province last September 1. The bombing killed six persons and injured 27 others.
The suspects for the bombing incident include Salahudin Hassan alias Sudz, with a P500,000 bounty on his head; Addulmalik Sali alias Dindo, Tahir Abubakar alias Jerome, and Junaira Minbida alias Bay, with a reward of P400,000 each.
Puno also said that he has ordered the deployment of 3,500 policemen from the Police National Training Institute to the barangays in North Cotabato, the coastal towns of Lanao del Norte and other areas prone to attacks by lawless MILF elements.
"Each town will have an additional 30 policemen each to help increase police visibility and augment the existing PNP (Philippine National Police) force in the areas concerned," Puno said.
Puno made these announcements during the Mindanao Peace Conference held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Digos City.
Local chief executives from the Zamboanga Peninsula Region, Northern Mindanao, Davao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), as well as top police officials led by PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr. and PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Jesus Versoza took part in the conference.
The conference was organized with the aim of crafting an action plan to secure population centers in Mindanao from organized criminal and lawless elements.
Earlier, criminal charges that include double murder, robbery-in-band and arson were separately filed against Macapaar, Kato, Pangalian and over 80 of their cohorts in connection with the series of attacks that killed and wounded hundreds of civilians.
The attacks also displaced thousands of families in Mindanao.
The charges were also filed against these renegade Moro rebels for the other lawless acts they have committed. (VR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (September 6, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
C-130 wreckage found off southern Davao