REWARD MONEY. Pikit, North Cotabato Mayor Sumulong Sultan (with microphone) presides over the emergency meeting on Feb. 18, 2023 of the Municipal Peace and Order Council, during which a PHP400,000 reward money was raised to help fast-track the resolution of the series of killings in the municipality. At least 40 people have been killed in the spate of random shootings in the town since last year. (Photo courtesy of Pikit LGU)
PIKIT, North Cotabato – The local government has offered a PHP400,000 reward money for anyone who can provide information that would lead to the identification and arrest of the perpetrators behind the recent killing of a 13-year-old student and tricycle driver here.
Mayor Sumulong Sultan said Monday the amount will hopefully help fast-track the arrest of the suspects behind the series of killings in the town.
“We need your help, we need everybody’s help to stop all these killings,” Sultan told members of the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) and town residents in a statement.
Sultan said the MPOC approved the use of PHP400,000 worth of bounty wherein PHP200,000 will go to anyone who can help identify the killers of a 13-year-old student here on Feb. 14 and another PHP200,000 to help solve the killing of tricycle driver Jose Neri Gonzales a day earlier.
He urged those with information to come forward and provide evidence to police authorities to help solve the cases.
In addition, the mayor said the town council passed a resolution banning motorcycle back riders and that the police will implement a no riding-in-tandem policy.
An additional two companies of soldiers have been deployed to help the police contain the surge of gun attacks in the town in recent months.
The Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) said it is ready to deploy more police personnel to Pikit.
Classes in all public and private schools resumed Monday after the local chief executive issued a suspension last week in the aftermath of the killings.
More police personnel have also been deployed near schools.
Since last year, at least 40 people have been killed in this town and not a single case has been resolved so far. (PNA)
