ALARMED and disappointed, the Butuan City government led by Mayor Ronnie Vicente Lagnada has offered a P1 million bounty for anyone who could provide information for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators in the shooting deaths of two barangay officials.
This, as Lagnada, expressed apprehension and disappointment in the performance of the Butuan City Police Office (BCPO) under City Police Director Col. Excelso Lazada where the spate of unsolved killings transpired.
“It raised concern that the recent killings could affect the economy of Butuan amid the interest being shown by the investors who want to pour their resources into the city,” said Lagnada who met with the barangay chairpersons and city councilors of Butuan to discuss the “loose security” in the city.
A reward money of P500,000 each awaits for the speedy resolution of the cases involving Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman Nelbert Gacosta of Barangay Lumbocan and Barangay Chairman Florencio Cagas of Sto. Niño, the city government made public this announcement recently.
After the killing of popular basketball player Jerry John Apas on June 16 in Barangay Ongyui, Barangay Lumbocan SK chair Gacosta fell dead when unidentified gunmen fired at him on the night of June 21 while the victim was in Purok 7, Barangay Masao.
Three days later, June 24, Barangay Sto. Niño chieftain Florencio Cagas was waylaid by riding-in-tandem suspects.
Cagas, 45, did not make it to Butuan Medical Center where he was brought after sustaining at least four bullet wounds.
“Sad news for our brethren! This incident is unacceptable and the perpetrator must be put to justice as soon as possible,” the 27-year-old Gacosta’s affiliated group, the Sigma Omega Beta’s Grand Fraternity, and Sorority took to social media in expressing their grievances.
“The untimely death of Mr. Gacosta reflects the horrible reality of our society where injustice and evil reign. As we condemn all forms of violence and this gruesome incident, we demand immediate justice for Nelbert,” read the official statement of the SK Federation of Butuan spearheaded by Panpan Nietes.
The Liga ng mga Barangay or Association of Barangay Council had also strongly condemned the treacherous ambush of Cagas whom they referred to as an “honorable official” so “well-loved” by his constituents in Barangay Sto. Niño.
“It’s very alarming. The city residents are scared,” said ABC president Gemma Tabada.
In an interview over RMN’s dxBC Butuan, Police Col. Lazada has called on the public to help them in finding a lead to identify the suspects, hinting that “the public’s cooperation is vital in the ongoing police investigation.”
Three more ordinary Butuan residents identified as Dante Garcia Villa, Sulpecio Duliguez Guibao Jr, and Hesus Macales Luad also met their brutal ends in Butuan since the police’s renewed drive to intensify the war on drugs with its so-called “Double Barrel: Endgame Strategy.”
