No reward to arrest suspect in ambush of mayor: PNP    

January 24, 2019

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde said there is no need to give reward for the arrest of the suspect involved in the ambush of San Fernando municipal Mayor Neneth Reluya in Talisay City last Tuesday.

In a TV interview on Thursday, Albayalde said it is not necessary to give a reward to solve the case.

“We are not after the reward actually. That's why in this Cebu case we are not asking for any reward,” he said.

The PNP chief said good intelligence and investigation is enough to solve the case but if the Reluya family is willing to offer, they are all right with it.

“Well it's really welcome so that we will be able to motivate witnesses just like what happened in (Representative Rodel) Batocabe. We have a witness there,” said Albayalde.

On Tuesday evening, San Fernando Mayor Neneth Reluya was ambushed at Brgy. Linao in Talisay City. She and two others were injured while her husband and two more died on the spot.

He also ordered the Central Visayas Police Office to solve the case within two weeks or face relieve.

"We have established our SITG (Special Investigation Task Group). However, the SITG has not come up with a good lead yet. The case is still under investigation so I gave the provincial director and chief of police there two weeks to solve the case,” Albayalde said.

"They will be relieved automatic. I will put somebody there to investigate it further and I also directed the director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to also handle this case," he added.

According to Albayalde, from October 11 to December 23 they have recorded 11 death incidents involving elected and non-elected government officials.

“We are concerned about it. It's not probably the word alarming but we are really concerned about this,” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS