REWARD. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas announces on Friday (Feb. 3, 2023) a PHP200,000 bounty for the arrest of suspects who held up a delivery firm in Barangay Quintin Salas in Jaro district on March 1. The Iloilo City Police Office said two of the three suspects have already been identified. (PNA file photo)
ILOILO CITY – A PHP200,000 reward is being offered to fast-track the arrest of suspects that carted away some PHP622,966 from a courier service company in Barangay Quintin Salas in Jaro district here on Wednesday night.
Mayor Jerry Treñas, in a statement released on Friday, said that the reward will go to the tipster who can provide information to the Philippine National Police leading to the arrest of perpetrators.
It will come from the city government and the office of City Lone District Representative Julienne Baronda.
“The PNP has been ordered to double all efforts to arrest the suspects and to increase police visibility in all areas,” the mayor said.
Based on the report of the Jaro Police Station, the three armed suspects entered the J&T office while two personnel were conducting an inventory around 7:30 p.m. of March 1.
They immediately fled on board a single motorcycle carting away the cash money and other personal items of the workers in the establishment.
One of the three suspects, 22-year-old John Mark Lebuna from Barangay San Isidro, Jaro, was captured at the residence of his live-in partner in Barangay Guinobatan on Friday. He was placed under the custody of the Jaro Police.
“I still have to confer with our city director since so far only one suspect was arrested,” Baronda said when asked what will happen to the bounty with the arrest of one of the assailants.
Treñas has already ordered the Business Process Licensing Office and the City Legal Office to draft an amendment to the CCTV (close circuit television) Ordinance, to include additional establishments that will be required to install high definition CCTVs.
Currently, the city’s ordinance compels seaports, motels, pension houses, drive-in hotels, lodging houses and high risk establishments such as banks including their satellite offices, and branches of Automated Teller Machines; lending and other financial institutions; hotels, malls, supermarkets; fuel, petrol or gas stations; transport terminals; convenience stores; private schools; stores selling liquor and places and spaces where the critical properties of the city government are situated.
“I found out that the establishment that was held up is not included in the ordinance required to have CCTVs. We will require other establishments to have CCTVs for their safety,” Treñas added.
Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) spokesperson Maj. Shella Mae Sangrines, in an interview Friday, said that two of the three suspects have been identified through their rouge’s gallery with the help of a witness, CCTV footage within the area, and the cooperation of the J&T Express management.
ICPO officer-in-charge Col. Joeresty Coronica also ordered for the continuous follow-up and pursuit operations against the suspects. (PNA)
