Reward for Pasig rape-slay suspects’ arrest hits P.3 M

MANILA, Philippines — The reward offered for information leading to the arrest of the remaining suspects in the rape-slay of a bank employee in Pasig City was raised yesterday to P300,000.

Senior Superintendent Orlando Yebra Jr., Pasig City police chief, admitted they have no witnesses but only scientific evidence on hand to help them solve the killing of Mabel Cama, 22.

Yebra added that the reward money could greatly help them convince witnesses to surface after truck driver Randy Oavenada, 37, was arrested on Sunday.

Earlier, Mayor Lourdes Briguerra of Paracale, Camarines Norte offered a P50,000 reward for the solution to the case. Cama’s father, Reynaldo, 53, works for her firm, Mega Bus Line.

The remaining P250,000 was shelled out by Pasig Mayor Bobby Eusebio for information leading to the arrest of Oavenada’s companions, Director Oscar Albayalde, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief said during a press conference at the Eastern Police District (EPD) headquarters yesterday.

The Pasig police yesterday filed rape with homicide charges against Oavenada before the city prosecutor’s office.

With Oavenada now behind bars, EPD director Chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula is confident that witnesses would surface, especially those interested in the reward money.

“I grieve with you on the untimely death of your daughter. Today, we bring justice to her death while I commend the EPD for the speedy arrest of her assailant. We hope to bring peace and healing to you,” Albayalde told Cama’s father, who was in the same room.

Oavenada was considered a witness but was officially arrested Sunday after latent prints lifted by the EPD crime laboratory on Cama’s cell phone matched his fingerprints.

He also tested positive for shabu.

Evidence

Superintendent Isidro Cariño, head of the EPD’s crime laboratory, said they recovered five pieces of aluminum foil from the abandoned office where Cama’s body was found and two of them bore traces of metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.

Cariño said they lifted another fingerprint from Cama’s cell phone but it did not match those of the four other “persons of interest” in the case.

Though Cama’s shorts and underwear were recovered near her body, Cariño explained that they are still trying to determine whether the victim was raped.

The EPD chief said they are investigating reports that the abandoned office was used as a drug den.

Sapitula said the investigation of Cama’s case is a continuing process until “all the suspects have been accounted for.”

Cama’s father said the family was happy that Oavenada was arrested as it reduced the heavy burden on his family.

The elder Cama expressed hope that the remaining suspects would decide to surrender.