P200- K bounty up for shooting 2 Bacoor traffic enforcers

BACOOR CITY, Cavite – The city government has put up a PHP200,000 bounty for the capture of the  suspect who shot and wounded two city traffic enforcers here during a clearing of illegal vendors last Saturday.

Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla announced Monday the PHP200,000 reward money for the immediate arrest of the lone suspect.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency, Revilla said that initial police investigation pointed to the suspect as the same person who shot and killed a Bacoor Traffick Management Division (BTMD) member last year in the same site at the Zapote Market.

"After I learned the shooting incident, I ordered the chief of police Supt. Francisco Lucena III in 24 hours to arrest the suspect who was identified as Halil Capitan, a Muslim and resident of Barangay Zapote 1 in this city,” Revilla said.

The suspect shot and wounded the two traffic enforcers including a bystander and the Special Task Force Group members who conducted their clearing operation against illegal sidewalk vendors in Zapote Market.

Halil was positively identified by one of the victims, 37 year-old traffic enforcer Rommel Pineda, resident of Eco Trend Subidviion in Barangay San Nicolas.

Pineda identified the suspect through the police rouge gallery of photos shown to him while he  underwent operation for his gunshot wounds in a nearby hospital in this city.

“Sa suspect na namaril sa dalawang miembro BTMD ay sumuko kana, di kami titigil haggat di ka namin nahuhuli (to the suspect who shot the two BTMD members, you must surrender, as we won’t stop until you are arrested," Revilla said as she denounced the attack on city hall workers.

According to Lucena , another wounded victim is Pineda's is co-worker Romeo  Sajota Rito Jr.,47  and also a resident of Barangay Zapote.

Lucena said that the two traffic enforcers were with the task force’s clearing operation around 8 p.m. on Saturday against illegal vendors of food items and meal along the street next to the Zapote Market.

As the task force conducted their operation, the suspect Halil Capitan approached them and without apparent reason shot them several times using the 38 caliber pistol at close range.

Further investigation revealed that Capital was also tagged as the killer of a BTMD Special Operations Group member Jayson dela Peña, 25, on March 6, 1991.

Unidentified  bystander, who was inside the Gawaran Lying in Clinic, was also wounded on the head by a stray bullet which pierced through the rear and left side window of a car wagon.

The three wounded victims are now in stable condition after the medical operation.

Lucena ordered intelligence units to track down and conduct surveillance of the suspect who remains at large and is believed to be hiding in suspected hideouts in Rizal province or in Mindanao. (Rogelio Limpin/PNA)