CEBU City Hall is offering P100,000 as reward for anyone who can lead authorities to the suspect in the shooting of a tanod of Barangay Basak Pardo last Wednesday morning.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña also authorized a cash advance of P20,000 for the hospital bills of Danilo Cabaluna, as the City prepares to provide assistance for his family.
“We have a P100,000 reward, I told them to produce the pictures of the gunman and I told them to do a social profile of the family, who is the bread winner and how much they’re making, in preparation for providing an assistance package for the family,” he said.
Cabaluna remains in critical condition because of gunshot wounds in the head.
Basak Pardo Barangay Captain Dave Tumulak told Sun.Star Cebu that Cabaluna, 56, is in a coma.
Cabaluna was shot past 3 a.m. last Wednesday when he tried to arrest three fleeing jeepney robbery suspects.
One of the suspects was identified as Christopher Albo, alias Abay-Abay. Albo of Sitio Living Water, Basak Pardo is reportedly a known jeepney robber, Tumulak and the police said.
Tumulak, however, aired his disappointment in the Homicide Section and the Pardo Police Station for their alleged failure to follow up Cabaluna’s shooting.
He said homicide police failed to return to the crime scene after its initial investigation.
The Pardo Police Station, on the other hand, reportedly turned down his request for police assistance yesterday because it didn’t have available personnel.
In his news conference yesterday, Osmeña said he is in favor of arming the barangay tanods so they can protect themselves when their life is in danger.
The mayor also recognized the need for more tanods and to provide them with additional communication equipment.
He said, though, that those who will carry firearms will have to undergo firearms proficiency training first and pass a proficiency test.
Although there is no indication that the tanods who have been killed or injured by suspected criminals were harmed because of their lack of training, he said the City will continue to support training programs and provide logistical support.