P2-M reward offered for information on Basilan judge slay case

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police in Zamboanga City have identified persons of interest in the murder of a judge from Basilan province. 

Police Regional Office-9 spokesperson P/Lt. Col. Shellamie Chang said they are coming up with an artist’s sketches of the two suspects who fired at the vehicle of Regional Trial Court-9 Branch 2 Presiding Judge Joseph Wee Sit in Barangay Tumaga this City Thursday dawn.

“The sketches are based on the CCTV footage and witness accounts,” Chang told ABS-CBN in a phone interview.

In a follow-up operation, authorities recovered a white motorcycle abandoned in Barangay Maasin. 

Chang said they have reasons to believe this was the same motorcycle used by the riding-in-tandem involved in the killing of Judge Wee Sit.

“We are already coordinating with the proper agencies, and the Highway Patrol Group is already verifying the ownership of the motorcycle,” Chang said.

Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Olaso announced on Thursday that he is offering P2M reward money to anyone who could give valuable information that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators. 

Out of the amount, Olaso said P1.5M is his personal money while a concerned citizen donated P500,000 to augment the reward money to ensure swift justice is delivered. 

“We can not use the intelligence fund of the city poreso personal kita dale para na biktima de shooting,” Olaso explained.

(We can not use the intelligence fund of the city that’s why we will use my personal money so that swift justice is served for the shooting victim.)

Meanwhile, the PRO-9’s Special Investigation Task Group continues to pursue different angles in the killing of Judge Wee Sit. In an earlier interview, Chang said they are also looking into the cases handled by the late judge.

Authorities believe the perpetrators are still in the city.