BIR offers P.5M for arrest of officer's killer

MANILA, Philippines -  The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) offered P500,000 for the arrest of the killers of a bureau officer last month, a police official said.

CALABARZON Police director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said the BIR has offered P500,000 reward for the arrest of the killers of Marcelino Yap, BIR district officer of Antipolo City.

Pagdilao said two motorcycle-riding gunmen gunned down Yap near the BIR office along Marcos Highway in Masinag, Antipolo last Feb. 17.

He said that an investigation was also being conducted on the murder of Albert Hernandez, 46, a revenue officer 1 at the BIR-Bacoor branch last Monday.

“Apart from the fact that both victims are BIR personnel, there is no factual basis at this time to connect these two incidents,” Pagdilao said.

In the case of Yap, Pagdilao said charges had been filed against two persons, the gunman and the motorcycle driver.

“The gunman is at large while the driver is held without bail. Operations had been conducted as far as Mindoro to arrest the gunman but so far efforts had yielded negative results,” he added.

Pagdilao noted that there is no warrant of arrest issued yet so the operations conducted were under ‘’hot pursuit’’ doctrine.

In the murder of Hernandez, Pagdilao said the case is still under general investigation and probers have yet to identify the suspects and motive.

Records showed that Hernandez was gunned down in front of his office in Barangay Dulong Bayan, Bacoor, Cavite last March 21.

Hernandez’s attackers escaped while the victim died while undergoing treatment at the Crisostomo Hospital.

“Investigators are still looking for witnesses who can help describe suspects to our composite artist and for other info that may help solve the case,” Pagdilao said.