Pagadian mayor offers reward for employee’s killer 

Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur. INQUIRER FILES

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — City Mayor Samuel Co offered reward money from his pocket to individuals who could help identify the gunman and mastermind of a city hall employee killed in San Pedro district here on Saturday, June 8.

Caloy Andal, an employee at the City Tourism Office, was shot dead while traversing a bamboo footbridge just 20 meters from his house at 5:30 p.m. on June 8. The victim was shot several times with a short firearm and was severely hit on the head and other parts of his body, resulting in his immediate death.

Co, who described Andal as one of his most ardent political supporters, said he believed the killing was “politically motivated,” after he talked with the victim’s family.

He failed to specify the amount of the reward money, however.

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The mayor also said he had been following up on the updates of the investigation of the local police.

Lieutenant Colonel Gilzen Niño Manese, chief of the Pagadian city police, said witnesses had identified a certain Sahibil, also known as Dante, a resident of the nearby Barangay White Beach, as the suspect.

According to witnesses, the suspect immediately fled off towards White Beach village after the killing.

Manese said they had been conducting a hot pursuit operation against the suspect.

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