(Eagle News) — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has offered a P2 million reward for anyone who can give the names and the whereabouts of the suspects in the deadly Sept 2 bombing in a night market in Roxas District in Davao City.
The mayor said that P1 million would be given for anyone who can give the name of the suspects, and another P1 million for those who can hand the suspects alive to the police or the city government. Even any tips about the whereabouts of the suspects will do, she said, so the police can arrest them.
– Task Force Davao head, Davao City police chief to be replaced —
At the same time, Mayor Duterte has ordered the removal of the heads of the Task Force Davao and the Davao City police following the deadly night market blast.
“There’s already a name for the new Davao city commander,” she said, adding that she herself insisted on this person to head the Davao City police force.
Mayor Duterte said there was no question whatsoever about the qualifications of current Task Force Davao Chief Col. Henry Robinson and Davao City Police Director Senior Supt. Michael John Dubria.
But there was a lack of action on previous information received by the police on the Davao City blast that killed 14 people and wounded almost 70 others.
The Mayor said she has already met with Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and personally asked for the removal of the police officers.
-Security further tightened in Davao –
Security has already been tightened in Davao City after a blast that tore through a packed street market.
President Rodrigo Duterte declared a “state of lawlessness” and ordered heightened security measures, including more police and military presence, a few hours after Friday’s (September 2) explosion.
Police checkpoints have been set up around Davao’s entry and exit points, while soldiers on motorcycles patrol the city.
“This is one of our heightened security measures. Those who are entering and leaving Davao City are being inspected. Cars, motorcycles, everything will be checked without exemptions”, said police investigator Maria Gazman.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said more than 60 people were wounded in the blast and were sent to various hospitals in the city.
Family members of the victims have called on Duterte for justice.
“We want justice. I want to know who did this to my poor sister,” said Consuela Barugay, whose sister was caught in the blast and on the eve of her 60th birthday.
Duterte is hugely popular in Davao, having served as its mayor for more than 22 years before his stunning national election win in May, garnered from the popularity of a promised war on drugs.
His election has prompted a spike in drug-related killings, with more than 2,000 deaths since he took office on June 30, nearly half of them in police operations.
Davao is located in Mindanao, a large island beset by decades of Muslim insurgency. The region is also home to Abu Sayyaf, a rebel group loosely linked to Islamic State and notorious for making tens of millions of dollars from kidnappings. (with a report from Reuters)
