Key witnesses to testify on busline manager slay

TAGBILARAN CTY, Philippines —  The Southern Star Bus Trans Company, Inc. management said it will not take the murder of its manager sitting down, according to its official yesterday.

Southern Star said it is doing all it can in consonance with the on-going investigation conducted by the police to give justice to the slain Hipolito "Dodong" Malbacias Labastilla and his bereaved family.

Labastilla, 48, was gunned down at noontime on Feb. 22 at his residence in new Capitol Site in this city by unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants, according to police reports.

The firm's management said it already has at least seven potential witnesses who were willing to come out and testify what really happened on that fateful day when Labastilla was killed, but the identities of these witnesses could not be divulged yet for security reasons.

Southern Star has in its custody the CCTV footage that may point and identify those who were responsible in Labastilla's murder, a ranking company official said.

This development came after the bus company has offered "a monetary consideration to those who can give  credible information of the killers for the fastest resolution of the case," said the official statement of the firm.

 "The senseless killing of Dodong will not stop us to become an economic partner to the increasingly fast changing demand for back to nature activities of the mainstream and foreign travellers in the province," the statement added. (FREEMAN)