Reward offered for arrest of killers of 3 Batangas kids

BATANGAS, Philippines  – The city government of Lipa yesterday offered P50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspects in the killing of three children on Sunday.

Vice Mayor Eric Africa announced the reward during yesterday’s flag raising ceremony.

The victims – Princess Oliveros, 10; her brother Prince Andrae, 7, and their cousin Joyce Ann Oliveros, 8 - were found with fractured skulls, at their apartment on San Nicolas St. Barangay Balintawak.

City police chief Superintendent Carlos Barde said the killing was discovered by the victim’s uncle Arthur Cunanan, who came to bring breakfast for the children at past 6 a.m.

Barde said they were eyeing robbery as the motive for the killing. He said at least P40,000 in cash and jewelry worth P55,000 owned by the victims’ grandmother were missing.

Barde said they would focus their investigation on suspected drug addicts in the neighborhood, a group of teenagers berated by the victim’s grandmother and a former househelp the grandmother fired.