P100K reward up in slay of 2 teachers in Antipolo

The Antipolo City government is offering  P100,000 for anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of the gunmen who killed two school teachers in separate incidents earlier this month.

Mayor Casimiro  Ynares III put up the cash reward on Wednesday in connection with the death of Bernadette Macam, 26, a receptionist who earlier taught at ICCT College; and Ann Janeth Francia, 23, a teacher at Jesus Cabarrus Elementary School.

“We normally give the police a longer time to work on a case before we offer rewards because we don’t want them to rely on incentives,” Ynares explained. “But these cases are special because they involve teachers.”

Based on a report of the Antipolo police, Macam was walking home on Vicente Avenue, Penafrancia, Barangay Cupang, around 8 p.m. on Nov. 10 when a man grabbed her bag and shot her six times. The robber fled on a motorbike driven by an accomplice.

Two days later, Francia was shot in the face while buying at a store in Sitio Tanza, Barangay San Jose. Investigators raised the possibility that she was a victim of mistaken identity.

Ynares strongly condemned the killings but noted that, based on latest figures from the Rizal provincial police, attacks involving motorcycle-riding gunmen in Antipolo had gone down to just two a month, from as high as four.

“Having even just one incident a month is still a cause for concern,” the mayor said, adding that the city would soon be enhancing street security with a CCTV installation project that is currently up for bidding.