President Duterte has offered a P5-million reward for the capture of those behind the brutal killing of four policemen in Negros and threatened to use emergency powers to quell lawless violence in the island.
The President raised the bounty from P3 million for the capture of the perpetrators dead and alive after deploring the brazen killings committed by the communist rebels on the island.
“We wish to inform the public that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has raised the reward money to P5 million for the capture, dead or alive, of the killers of the Negros policemen and to P100,000 for every participant in the killing,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
“The Chief Executive is cautioning the enemies of the state in the island of Negros that he will use his emergency powers under the Constitution to quell the lawless violence engulfing the island, as well as to crush all forms of threats aimed to destroy the government,” he added.
After raising the specter of emergency powers, Panelo said the President will obey the constitutional command “to serve and protect the Filipino people at any cost, and to fiercely save the Republic from imminent ruin.”
“The President vows to replicate the atrocious acts done by the communist rebels to the civilians, the barangay officials, and the law enforcers against these murderers in defense of our countrymen,” he said.
Four policemen were killed by suspected New People’s Army rebels during an ambush early in Ayungon, Negros Oriental last month. The President strongly condemned the torture and murder of the cops and initially offered P1 million reward before raising it to P3 million last week.
Panelo said the President has issued a stern warning that the NPA rebels in Negros “have gone overboard and that their killings have become brazen and unbridled where men in uniform, as well as civilians are murdered with impunity.”
He noted that the land disputes in Negros have escalated to killings among the claimants.
“The communist rebels have exploited the land unrest and turned the province into a quasi-state. They have arbitrarily chosen who will own the lands subject of the controversies surrounding them,” he said.
After condemning the murders, the President visited the wake of the policemen and posthumously conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu Rank of Kalasag to the slain cops – Police Corporal Relebert Beronio and Police Patrolmen Raffy Callao, Ruel Cabellon, and Marquino de Leon. (Genalyn Kabiling)
