Female cop receives P50,000 cash reward for stopping iPhone thief

HER bravery was amply rewarded.

PO2 Lea Juarez yesterday received a cash reward of P50,000 from Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district, which she intends to use as down payment for a multicab.

Juarez said she needs a vehicle for her sideline business where she sells chorizo, bags and slippers among others.

“The multicab would be a big help to my business. I don’t  need to  hire a taxi for my goods anymore,” she said in Cebuano.

Osmeña promised to help her  find a multicab at a discounted price.

Juarez’s bravery draw attention after she chased and shot dead a motorcycle-riding man who grabbed the iPhone and wallet of a female pedestrian at  Cebu Business Park  last week.

Osmeña who was in the U. S. then for his medical checkup  heard about her  action  from friends. When he returned to Cebu last Sunday, Osmeña  invited the policewoman  to his Guadalupe residence to receive the cash reward.

He said  he and some friends chipped in for the amount because they  admired the policewoman’s bravery.

“You deserve it,” Osmeña told her.

“I appreciate that we have dedicated people like her,” said Osmeña told reporters.

Juarez said it was the second cash reward she  received from people who appreciated what she did. Earlier, she  received P10,000 cash from a Tagalog-speaking donor whom she did not even meet.  The cash was sent to her through the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7.

“I didn’t expect to  receive this. I can’t believe the blessings I received,”  said Juarez, who is a single mother of a 9-year-old girl./chief of reporters doris bongcac