Valera remains at large

MANILA, Philippines - Information on the whereabouts of former Abra Gov. Vicente Isidro Valera kept on pouring on the relatives of slain Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin after the reward for his capture was raised to P500,000.

Abra Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin said the information forwarded to their family in the form of text messages and e-mails in the Internet were forwarded to the Philippine National Police to work on. But until yesterday, Valera remains scot-free.

The Bersamin family offered a P250,000 reward for the capture of Valera and P100,000 to his aide ex-Army Sgt. Leo Bello. Friends and supporters of Bersamin in Abra shelled out their own money to raise the reward with the hope that more public servants would report the whereabouts of Valera and Bello.

“We are hoping that by doubling the reward, more Filipinos would join efforts to have the two suspects arrested and jailed,” said Bersamin in an interview.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa ordered raids in the suspects’ hideouts as revealed by informers but they failed to account for Valera.

The Bureau of Immigration has issued a hold departure order against Valera, and Verzosa that strongly believes he is still in the country.

Valera, Bello and Jerry Turqueza were ordered arrested by Judge Luisito Cortez, of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 84 for the murder of Rep. Bersamin and his police security aide SPO2 Adelfo Ortega in front of the Mt. Carmel Church in Quezon City on Dec. 16, 2006.

Valera denied involvement in Bersamin’s killing, claiming they are distant cousins but he went into hiding after learning of Cortez’ arrest warrant.

As of last week, Valera asked Cortez to recall the arrest warrant against him.

Gov. Bersamin said friends and supporters of his late brother wanted to hasten the arrest of Valera and Bello so they put up the additional money. The Abra governor clarified that the reward money would be handed to anybody, even government workers, as long as the information leads to the arrest of Valera and Bello.

‘There will be no questions asked as long as the PNP certifies that such information leads to the arrest of the two suspects,” Gov. Bersamin said.

There are also reports that Valera’s wife is approaching politicians in northern Luzon to facilitate her husband’s surrender before the National Bureau of Investigation.