Dr. Dreyfuss Perlas was an active participant in activities of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILHEALTH ILIGAN CITY
ILOILO CITY — Police are still hunting the suspected gunman in the killing of Dr. Dreyfuss Perlas, six months after the rural physician was gunned down.
His family continued to hope for justice.
“We are trying to move on,” said Dreyfuss’ father, Dennis, councilor of Batan town, Aklan province.
He said, however, that he was trying to arrange a meeting with Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Philippine National Police chief, “to seek his help in hastening the arrest of those involved.”
Hunting teams
Police are hunting suspect Nabil Banding who was tagged by the Special Investigation Task Group-Perlas as the gunman hired to kill Dreyfuss by persons who had a grudge against the doctor.
The task group, formed by the Lanao del Norte provincial police office, said Banding was a former security guard.
“We have deployed teams to hunt him down,” said Senior Supt. Leopoldo Cabanag, Lanao del Norte provincial police chief. He said it was logical for Banding to hide “but we will eventually get him.”
A gunman shot dead Dreyfuss on March 1 in Kapatagan town in Lanao del Norte.
Dreyfuss, 31 and a native of Batan, died from a gunshot wound in the back that pierced his heart.
He served as municipal health officer of Sapad town in Lanao del Norte.
His death provoked an outcry as he was one of the few volunteer doctors who opted to stay in his area of assignment after his contract under the government’s Doctors to the Barrios program ended.
A woman and three men were earlier tagged in a criminal complaint by police in the killing but only Banding was charged.
Cash reward
The Lanao del Norte provincial government earlier offered a P150,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the killing.
Perlas was conferred the “Bayani ng Kalusugan” award by the Department of Health for his service to the community.
Pending at the Batan municipal council are two separate ordinances naming a street in the town after the slain physician and declaring March 1, the day Dreyfuss was killed, as a municipal holiday.