House raising bounty for Bersamin killers

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. offered yesterday a P100,000 reward for the immediate arrest of the killers of Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin Jr., and requested his colleagues to chip in P5,000 each for the bounty to reach P1.1 million.

De Venecia made the offer during necrological rites at the House of Representatives, where the remains of the slain administration congressman were brought.

"Without malice to none but with charity for all, I’m contributing P100,000 reward money for (the arrest of Bersamin’s) killers, and also for the mastermind. I also urge each congressman to contribute P5,000 each, so that it can reach P1.1 million," De Venecia said.

The P100,000 offered by the Speaker would be on top of the P200,000 bounty announced earlier by Task Force Bersamin head Chief Superintendent Jesus Versoza.

"I say to the people of Abra, let us now put an end to the feuds, the infighting. We don’t want Abra to be like Sicily which is Mafiosi. We can put an end to these killings. We have to bring peace and tranquillity to this beautiful province of Abra," he added.

De Venecia also called Bersamin an "economic visionary," who was "not only a leader of Abra and Ilocos region, but also a brilliant spokesman of the tribes people in the Cordillera region." The lawmaker was a banker before he became a Bangued mayor, and later congressman.

He said Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Calderon had told him of the arrest of a 40-year-old former soldier and the recovery of a pistol. He said the suspect looked like "Rambo," a movie character in the 1980s of a Vietnam veteran played by Sylvester Stallone. De Venecia said the suspect, a hired killer, had already received an initial P200,000 from the mastermind of Bersamin’s killing.

"He is being escorted now back to the PNP-CIDG headquarters," De Venecia said.

"Ten persons are now under questioning in Quezon City, but we cannot be un-Christian to say that they are guilty," the Speaker said.

He also called for a review of the firearms law and a stricter registration of motorcycles. "There must be a better law for firearms in this country. We should look into the registration of motorcycles that are being used by assassins for their quick getaways."

Calderon, for his part, said political rivalry remains the strongest lead in the Bersamin case.

He said a receipt found in the abandoned getaway motorcycle showed that it was purchased in Marikina by Luis Saulog of Abra. The vehicle was registered in Marikina in the name of a master sergeant living in Barangay Cembo in Guadalupe, Makati City.

A source, meanwhile, said a man picked up earlier for questioning had been tagged by witnesses as one of the men who killed Bersamin.

The source, who requested anonymity, declined to identify the suspect pending the result of the "cross matching" between the bullets that killed Bersamin and the gun seized from the suspect.

Chief Superintendent Arturo Cacdac Jr., director of the PNP Crime Laboratory, said the procedure would take time.

Warning

As a politician, Bersamin had never accepted invitations to Church events like weddings for fear of being caught unawares by potential assassins. But last Dec. 16 was different. It was the wedding day of his niece Pia, the daughter of his brother Associate Court of Appeals Justice Lucas Bersamin.

The CA justice said his brother had a ready answer to people seeking explanation for his non-appearance at Church events: "That’s where they will get me." Bersamin, his brother said, felt that long-drawn Church ceremonies would make him a sitting duck to assassins just like what happened to Tineg Abra Mayor Clarence Benwaren who was gunned down inside a church in Laguna.

"His fear became a reality," the grieving Justice Bersamin told The STAR.

Justice Bersamin saw his brother’s killers fleeing Mt. Carmel grounds. Another brother Kit and the congressman’s driver fired at the fleeing gunman. The driver was hit in the leg.

A close relative of Bersamin said the late congressman had been warned of an assassination plot a day before his death and had even arranged a meeting with the alleged informant in Baguio.

"That man really wanted him dead, but the police should also look into the NPA hit squad angle," the source said but gave no further details.

The source, who declined to be named, said Bersamin had confided that he had been getting death threats.

Meanwhile, Abra Gov. Vicente Valera said "politicized" policemen were to blame for the political killings in the province. "The PNP became so politicized. They are not neutral and cannot be trusted by the people," Valera said.

The Diocese of Bangued praised the slain congressman for his contributions to the province. Msgr. Nilo Peig, Diocese administrator, said Bersamin worked for the establishment of two irrigation systems for farmlands in Pidigan, Tayum, and Bangued towns.

Dionisio Bulong, president of Gumil Filipinas, an association of Ilocano writers, said the congressman’s death left a void in the province "that is hard to fill."

"He was humble, approachable, and had a heart for ordinary folks," he said.

    

Eulogies

Rep. Victor Sumulong, vice president of Kampi party of which Bersamin was a member, described the slain congressman as a "very loyal and amiable friend."

"It is very sad indeed that he will leave this world. In the end you came from God and to God you will return. We cannot forget your integrity and compassion, especially to the people you have served," he said during the necrological rites.

Pangasinan Rep. Generoso Tulagan said the congressman "will never be replaced... Your death will surely be rewarded and heaven is your prize. I don’t wish to say goodbye, my friend."

Rep. Mauricio Domogan, another member of the so-called Northern Luzon Alliance in the House, chanted a tribal prayer for Bersamin. He said he was a janitor in Bangued when he first met Bersamin.

House Deputy Speaker for Luzon Eric Singson described Bersamin as an "admirable and likable fellow" who was "always ready to cheer us up" and who "always reminded us to stick together."

Bersamin’s daughter Charrie thanked President Arroyo and the congressmen for their help. She also praised the police for doing their best to solve the murders. - Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jaime Laude, Teddy Molina