Reward up for killers of board exec

Local officials have put up a P100,000 reward for the capture of five armed men who killed a provincial official of Surigao del Sur in Bislig City on Sunday.

Governor Johnny Pimentel also directed the police to thoroughly investigate the murder of Board member Rafael Viduya (second district) and bring to justice those behind it.

Viduya, 58, had just attended Mass at St. Joseph the Worker parish church in Barangay (village) San Roque when he was attacked at around 10 a.m., said Supt. Ronilo Jauregue, city police chief.

“As he stepped out of the church, two male persons approached Board Member Viduya and shot him several times. [They] then fled on two Honda XRM motorcycles without license plates, speeding toward Poblacion Bislig,” Jauregue said.

Bystanders rushed the victim to Andres Soriano Memorial Hospital in nearby Barangay Cumawas.

In a phone interview, Pimentel condemned the killing of Viduya, describing him as “a good public official.” Viduya was chair of the provincial board’s environment and peace and order committees, he said. Frinston L. Lim, Inquirer Mindanao