A FREED heinous crime convict was shot by a still unidentified gunman in the southern town of Dalaguete, Cebu past 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019.
Staff Sgt. Bricel Recaborda of the Dalaguete Police Station identified the victim as 56-year-old Manuel Amaya Jr. of Barangay Mantalongon.
According to initial investigation, Amaya was about to enter his house when a motorcycle carrying two passengers arrived. The passenger suddenly pulled out a gun and shot Amaya several times.
Amaya, who was hit in the left thigh and in both shoulders, was rushed to a hospital in the town, but the resident doctor said he should be taken to a hospital in the city which is better equipped to tend to his wounds.
The victim has been declared out of danger.
Police still don’t have a motive for the shooting, but they are not discounting personal grudge.
Major Rolan Aliser, chief of the Dalaguete Police Station, said Amaya was one of the more than 2,000 convicts of heinous crimes who were released under the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) system.
Amaya was imprisoned for murder and frustrated murder in the Sablayan Penal Colony in Mindoro before he was set free last December.
Aliser said they are now trying to convince Amaya to heed President Rodrigo Duterte’s order and turn himself in.
He said he was not aware that a beneficiary of the GCTA law was living in his jurisdiction since Amaya did not inform the station about his newfound freedom.
Mantalongon Barangay Councilor Eunice Geoman, a cousin of the victim, said she would help police convince Amaya to surrender so his life wouldn’t be in danger.
Geoman said she has been worried about his safety, especially since Duterte issued the ultimatum that he could place a P1 million bounty on the head of a freed heinous crime convict who refused to surrender in 15 days.
According to her, Amaya was supposed to turn himself in to authorities on Friday, Sept. 13. He spent the last few days trying to make money that he would take back with him to Mindoro. (From BBT of SuperBalita Cebu, PJB)