PNP chief, General Benjamin. Acorda Jr. gives the reward to the 13 police informants. With the top cop is PNP Director for Intelligence, Major Gen. Jon A. Arnaldo. Photo by ALFRED DALIZON
Acorda rewards P11.7M to 13 police informants
PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. on Wednesday handed over an P11,710,000 reward to 13 police informants who provided tips that resulted in the capture of 13 of the country’s most wanted persons including two New People’s Army leaders facing rebellion and murder charges.
The top cop was joined by PNP Director for Intelligence, Major Gen. Jon A. Arnaldo, PNP Intelligence Group director, Colonel Romeo J. Macapaz and PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group director, Brigadier Gen. Warren F. De Leon.
The 13 informants wore ski masks to cover their identities.
Acorda said the informants provided vital information which resulted in the arrest of the two wanted CPP/NPA leaders as well as 11 other Most Wanted Persons (MWPs) facing non-bailable charges for murder, robbery and rape.
Also a former PNP Director for Intelligence, Acorda said the granting of reward to PNP informants has been fully helping the police force account for the country’s most wanted persons over the years.
Since his stint as the head of the PNP-DI and as PNP chief last April 24 to date, Acorda has released a total of P32,385,000 to 100 PNP informants who provided the police force with accurate information that led to the arrest or neutralization of the same number of most wanted persons.
They include the P3.310 million reward released on September 5, 2022; P1.905 million released on September 16, 2022; P3.705 million released on November 4, 2022; P1.865 million reward released last January 23, P7.960 million released last February 24; P1.930 million released last April 18; and the latest and the biggest, the P11.710 million released on Wednesday.
Acorda said he has ordered the speedy release of the reward to PNP informants since his DI days since he knows it serves as a motivation to them.
“We know that we have been posting more accomplishments due to our reward system but we make sure that the identities of our informants will be kept in utmost secrecy for their own protection.We also know that the reward money they (informants) have been receiving are not enough to compensate the risk they face. But even without reward, it is also the public’s duty and responsibility to help us keep our country safe from terrorists and criminals,” Acorda added.
Granting of monetary reward to persons, except government employees, who are instrumental to the arrest/neutralization of most wanted persons is one of the PNP programs which serve as an effective way of encouraging the community’s participation in addressing security-related threats and criminality in the country, he explained.
Thus, the PNP chief encouraged the public to continue supporting and helping the police force by providing information on criminals and/or wanted persons for their immediate arrest.
Acorda told the Journal Group they will get accurate facts on how many most wanted persons they have accounted for as a result of the PNP reward system have been convicted by the court.
