THE Finance Department said a P1-million cash reward has been offered to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of the persons behind the murder of Bureau of Internal Revenue Regional Director Jonas Amora, who was shot dead along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City Monday morning.
The same person from the private sector had earlier offered a similar P1-million reward for information leading to the arrest of the killers of Customs Deputy Commissioner Arturo Lachica last Nov. 17.
The department said it is working with the Philippine National Police to arrest the perpetrators of both murders.
Those with information relevant to ther murders can contact head executive assistant Marc Gregory Crisostomo or technical assistant Alddon Christner Ang at telephone nos. 5239215 and 5239219.
“The private individual who earlier offered the P1 million for information on Lachica’s murder has now upped the reward. It is now P1 million each for information leading to the arrests of the persons responsible for the murders of Deputy Commissioner Lachica and Regional Director Amora,” the department statement said.
It did not say who offered the reward.
Amora, who was the bureau’s regional director of Revenue Region 8-Makati City, was killed early Monday morning on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, by unknown assailants onboard a motorcycle.
The motive for the killing is still unknown, the BIR said.
Amora, a certified public accountant, rose from the ranks in the bureau, starting his stint in the government service as a revenue examiner, and later as regional director in Quezon City, where he had consistently delivered “topnotch performance.”
The BIR described Amora as a “dedicated public servant” who had no known enemies either in or out of the bureau.
A police report submitted by Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to the Finance Department said Lachica was on his way home to Caloocan City Thursday night onboard his Toyota Altis with two BoC contractual employees—his driver Romulo Dumaua and bodyguard Ramon Hernandez—when they were attacked by a man wearing a face mask.
Lachica’s assailant suddenly appeared from behind them along España Avenue near the corner of Kundiman Street in Sampaloc, Manila and shot him several times with a handgun, the police report said.
Lachica was taken to United Doctors Medical Center, where he was declared dead-on-arrival.
He was a certified public accountant who was appointed deputy commissioner for the BOC Internal Administration Group (IAG) on 2014.
He was designated as deputy commissioner for the Revenue Collection and Monitoring Group in July 2015 and, since his posting there, had been active in filing cases against alleged smugglers and those involved in illegal and misdeclared imports.
Faeldon appointed Lachica back as IAG deputy commissioner in July.
Police said Amora, 55, was found slumped inside his white Toyota Innova, dead on the spot from multiple gunshot wounds to the body and head, but his driver, Angelito Pineda, was taken to Quirino Memorial Medical Center for medical treatment.
Police said the car was slowly turning right to Katipunan when two men on a motorcycle appeared on the right side of the road and shot Amora.
No motive has been established.
Last week, Customs deputy commissioner Arturo Lachica was ambushed and killed in a similar manner along España in Manila City.
Eleazar said officials of Barangay Escopa 2 in Project 4 are willing to cooperate and to provide authorities with footage from their CCTV.
Quezon City police said they found P300,000 cash and other valuables in Amora’s vehicle.