Silawan murder case reward: 23 people to share P1M

CEBU, Philippines — The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office will not receive a single centavo of the P1 million reward the Lapu-Lapu City government has promised for the witnesses who can help solve the gruesome murder of 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan.

Police Colonel Lemuel Obon, LCPO director, told reporters in a press briefing yesterday that he received the P1 million from outgoing Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza because it is his job as city police director to liquidate it.

The money will be shared by 23 witnesses.

“Iklaro nato, wala mi maski singko, sa pulis we just do our job, we received the P1 million to encash it. That is government money so we have to liquidate, as city director ako ang gihimo na medium para ma-encash ‘to,” Obon said.

He said that the money will not be received by the 23 witnesses in equal amounts; each will get an amount proportional to how relevant their contribution was to solving the case.

“I-distribute to siya by ratio sa significant information na gihatag sa atoa,” he said.

He explained there are three groups of witnesses. It was the first group who identified suspect, Renato Llenes, as the man behind the dummy account “CJ Diaz” that Llenes allegedly to court Christine and other girls online.

The second group testified that it was Llenes was the one recorded by a closed-circuit television camera, while the third group gave the police the lead to his whereabouts, resulting in his arrest.

Since the P1 million was not the only reward promised in the case, Obon said that they are still expecting the P100,000 from the PRO-7 Regional Advisory Council, the P500,000 from an ex-soldier Don Davis in Southern Leyte, P200,000 from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, and another P200,000 from the Cebu Provincial Council for the Welfare of Children.

Silawan was found dead with her face flayed off in a vacant lot in Lapu-Lapu City last March. (FREEMAN)