COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The local government of Kabacan, North Cotabato offered Tuesday a P200,000 cash reward in exchange for any information that would lead to the arrest of the suspects in the Jan. 11 murder of Vice-Mayor Policronio Dulay.
Dulay, who was to seek re-election during the May 2013 local polls, was emerging from a department store at the town proper of Kabacan when two men riding a motorcycle in tandem pulled over in front of him and opened fire with handguns.
Dulay, who was elected as Kabacan’s vice-mayor in 2007 after serving as municipal councilor for nine years, was hit in different parts of his body, causing his instantaneous death.
Dulay’s supposed bid for a third and final term was being challenged by a less known neophyte, Datu Maidu Sultan, an independent candidate.
Supt. Leo Ajero, chief of the Kabacan municipal police, said investigators are now looking into politics as a possible motive for Dulay’s murder.
“According to members of his family, he had no known enemies. He was, in fact, known all over the town as a very friendly, respectful political leader, who was easy to get along with,†Ajero said.
Dulay was the running mate of Kabacan’s re-electionist mayor, George Tan.
Tan even reportedly promised to shell out additional incentive, from his personal money, to augment the reward raised by their municipal government to hasten the arrest of Dulay’s killers.
Meanwhile, Ajero said they have intensified their operations against Kabacan residents that roam around carrying guns.
“We have been conducting surprise inspections of motorists in areas they least expect us to put up checkpoints to hasten the enforcement of the gun ban the Commission on Elections imposed last Jan. 13, which will last until June,†Ajero said.
The North Cotabato provincial police organized last weekend Task Force Dulay, comprised of local officials and investigators, to investigate on the murder of the vice mayor.
Ajero said the rank and file personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in North Cotabato have also been designated as members of the task force.