Gapan mayor offers P200,000 for info on boy’s murder, dumping in river

Eduardo Gabriel has identified the body of his son, Reynaldo, in
a morgue in Gapan City in Nueva Ecija province. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER / ARMAND GALANG

Gapan City Mayor Emerson Pascual is offering P200,000 to anyone who could give details that would lead to the arrest of those involved in the killing and dumping of 14-year-old boy Reynaldo de Guzman.

“Kung sino mang makakapagturo kung ano ang plate number, anong sasakyan, o nakakakilala doon sa tao, kung sino man ang nagtapon kay Kulot, magbibigay ako ng P200,000,” Pascual said in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net on Thursday.

(Anyone who could point out the plate number, the type of van, or who could recognize the person who dumped Kulot, I will give P200,000.)

Pascual said that anyone who knew about the killing and dumping of the teen should not be afraid as he gave the assurance that the identity of the tipster would not be divulged.

“Ang kailangan ko lang makatulong ako sa bata, na may pagmumulan yung imbestigasyon ng pulis (I just want to help the kid, so that the police know where to start its investigation),” the mayor said.

The body of De Guzman, also known as “Kulot” to his family and friends, was found on Tuesday, Sept. 5, floating in a creek in the village of San Roque in Gapan City in Nueva Ecija. His head was wrapped in plastic and masking tape, similar to the victims of vigilante killings.

The boy, together with 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz, was last seen alive on August 18 leaving their neighborhood in Cainta, Rizal, supposedly to get a midnight snack.

Arnaiz was found in a morgue in Caloocan City 10 days later, killed in a reported shootout with the police after allegedly robbing a taxi driver.

An autopsy later showed the body of Arnaiz having apparent handcuff and torture marks. A forensic examiner also expressed belief that he was on his knees when shot dead.

A forensic examination by the PNP Crime Laboratory found gunpowder nitrates on his right hand, indicating that he had fired a gun.

The discovery of de Guzman’s body shocked Gapan City, which Pascual said was the most peaceful in the province.

Since the Duterte administration’s war on drugs was launched last year, the mayor said only 10 people were killed in the city, two of which were locals and eight were from outside the city.

He believed that de Guzman was killed outside Gapan and was only dumped in the city, which is adjacent to the province of Bulacan, to mislead those who were trying to find the boy.

“Ginawa lang tapunan yung Gapan (They just used Gapan as a dumping site),” he said.

Pascual has promised De Guzman’s family to shoulder the funeral expenses, from the funeral home to his autopsy and burial, using his personal money. CCB