Nueva Ecija mayor raises P10-M bounty for arrest of alleged gang leader

GAPAN CITY — Mayor Emerson Pascual raised the family’s P5 million bounty to P10-million on Tuesday in a bid to gather information that would lead to the arrest of Ricardo Peralta, the alleged leader of gun-for-hire Red Vigilante Group (RVG).

Pascual increased the reward money his family put up years ago after Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde announced the arrest of five suspected RVG members during a November 12 briefing.

Pascual blames RVG for a 2006 attack at the family’s cockpit arena in Barangay (village) Pambuan where his brothers Ebertson and Erickson were killed. Peralta, who has been linked to multiple murder cases in Nueva Ecija province, had denied taking part in the Pambuan incident.

Albayalde had announced the arrest of Dennis Matias and Mary Anne Mallari in Quezon City; Raymond Dequina in Echague town, Isabela province; and John Lana and Jackie Lou Isidro in Iloilo province.

Albayalde said RVG was involved in a “long list of assassinations” in Nueva Ecija, Metro Manila, and the provinces of Bulacan, Tarlac, and Cagayan. /kga