P1M reward up for arrest of Negros ‘killer’

(Photo courtesy of 79th IB)

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The bounty on a wanted personality tagged to some killings in the towns of Toboso and Calatrava in Negros Occidental has been raised from P900,000 to P1 million.

In a recent Facebook post, the Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), said that the bounty shall be given to anyone who could provide information that could lead to the arrest and/or neutralization of Roger Fabillar, with aliases “Arnel Tapang,” “Jhong,” or “Nono.”

Fabillar is one of the seven suspects earlier identified by the police and the Army in the killing of Rodel Nobleza and Renato Estrebillo in Barangay Marcelo on Aug. 7 and 12, 2022, respectively, and Barangay Lalong Captain Benjamin Javoc, on Aug. 26, 2022, all in Calatrava town.

Murder charges were already filed by the police against the perpetrators even before the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command–Northern Negros Guerilla Front of the NPA (RJPC-NPA) admitted that they were behind the said killings.

According to the 79th IB, Fabillar is also identified as one of the suspects in the killing of Kagawad Benito Hubahib of Barangay Cambayobo in Calatrava town on Feb. 22, 2023.

A month after the series of killings in Calatrava town in August 2022, the local government and other private donors offered a cash reward of P500,000 for the arrest of Fabillar, until it was raised to P1 million now.

Hundreds of leaflets seeking the community’s help for the immediate capture of Fabillar were also dropped through a Huey helicopter in September 2022.