P1M bounty for info on gunmen of slain model

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 3 Jan) – The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) announced on Tuesday that some well-meaning individuals offered to pay a cash reward worth P1 million to anyone who can give information on the unidentified gunmen who shot dead Yvonnette Chua Plaza on December 29, 2022.

_{Col. Albert Lupaz, DCPO director, and Major Eudisan Gultiano, spokesperson for the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG), at a press conference on the killing of Yvonnette Chua Plaza. Screengrab from the Police Regional Office 11 Facebook page}

In a press conference, Col. Albert Lupaz, DCPO director, asked the public for cooperation for the early resolution of the killing of the 38-year-old model and entrepreneur.

The victim was shot at close range by assailants riding in tandem on a motorcycle outside her rented house around 7:30 p.m. at the Green Meadows Subdivision in Barangay Santo Niño, Tugbok District.

Lupaz said they have no witnesses who can identify the assailants, who were wearing helmets at the time of the incident.

He said that police investigators are gathering CCTV footage in hopes of establishing the identity of the gunmen.

He said police are investigating two persons of interest.

Major Eudisan Gultiano, spokesperson for the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG), said the persons of interest might be related to the killing of Plaza.

The Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao created the SITG to take the lead in the investigation of the murder incident.

The PRO-Davao assured the public for a “fair, impartial and unbiased conduct of investigation.”

Officials, however, refused to provide details regarding the identity of the persons of interest as the authorities have yet to establish if they are indeed involved in the crime.

_{From the Facebook page of Yvonne Plaza Chua}

But Gultiano said robbery could be ruled out as motive in the killing because the taking of her belongings was incidental, which came only after shooting her at close range.

“Based on the CCTV, the first thing that the suspects did was to shoot her right away. The taking of her bag was only incidental or came just as an afterthought… In fact, they wanted to shoot her for the second time but the gun jammed,” she said.

She said the suspects could be motivated by personal grudge as the intent to kill was apparent.

Lupaz added that the family of the victim gave consent to investigators to submit her iPad and mobile phone for examination to gather pieces of the evidence that may lead to the identity of the suspects. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)