DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said Tuesday, October 11, that the City Government is ready to release the P3 million bounty to those who were able to arrest and provide information on the suspects behind the Davao bombing on September 2, which killed 15 people and left 70 others injured.
The three suspects, however, denied involvement in their counter-affidavits during a preliminary hearing at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday.
Their lawyer pointed out that they were not arrested in a checkpoint as claimed by authorities.
Duterte-Carpio, during the unveiling of the memorial marker, said that they are awaiting reports of the authorities pertaining to the apprehension of the perpetrators.
"We are waiting for them to give us the report to whom we would turn over the reward," the city mayor said.
Duterte-Carpio told reporters in an ambush interview that the reports would still be reviewed by the Public Safety Command Center.
The city mayor said if the necessary reports have been submitted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), who arrested the suspects, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), and the review has been completed, the bounty will be given.
"We will release the reward accordingly," Duterte said.
It can be recalled that Duterte-Carpio initially offered a P2 million reward wherein P1 million is allocated for anyone who can provide information about the identity of the suspect and P1 million for the one who can arrest the suspect.
But, few days after, she raised it to P3 million after a law maker and businessman donated P500,000 each.
On October 7, the suspects identified as TJ Macabalang, Wendel Facturan, and Musali Mustapha were nabbed at a checkpoint onboard a motorcycle in Cotabato City.
The three were alleged members of the Maute Group.
According to authorities, the videos and photos from the incident found on the confiscated mobile phones are strong evidences against the suspects.
"It is, however, important for us to remember that the arrest must ultimately lead us to the dismantling of terror groups in our midst or result in the failure of more senseless acts of violence and extremism," Duterte said in a statement.
The suspects have submitted their respective counter-affidavits during a preliminary hearing at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday.
The documents were not given to the media but Maria Eliza Jonalyn Barquez, the suspects' legal counsel, said the three denied in their affidavits the charges filed against them by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).
The suspects are facing criminal charges for violation of the RA 10591 or Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and Illegal Possession of Explosives Law.
Barquez added the three also denied the reports of the CIDG that they were arrested in a checkpoint in Cotabato City.
"There was no checkpoint," Barquez said.
A local report from Cotabato City last October 5, 2016, said that Macabalang’s father, Teng, reported to the PNP Cotabato City Station 2 that at around 6 p.m. of October 4, unidentified men kidnapped his son TJ, owner of Stickerworks, along with a man the elder Macabalang identified as Wendel Apostol Pactuan, 19, in front of the Ubaida Motorparts along Gov. Gutierrez Avenue in Cotabato City.
This report is according to Brigada News FM Cotabato City and is accessible in the Brigada Facebook page.
In this report, Chief Inspector Carlo Jurenario said the two were waiting for somebody who was going to buy their Honda XR 200 at Suzuki Raider in front of the Land Bank along Gov. Gutierrez.
While waiting, a van and a gray Toyota Innova with no plate number stopped and armed men forced the two inside.
When the suspects were presented in Manila, it was claimed that materials used for making an improvised explosive device, a sub-machine gun and a cal .45 pistol were seized from them in a checkpoint.
The authorities also confiscated their cellphones where they found a video recording of the September 2 bombing in Davao City.
Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Peter Ong said the case is now submitted for resolution.
The bombing attack at the Roxas market in Davao City killed at least 15 and injured 70.
It prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare a state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in his home province.