Informant, not SAF, will get $5M reward

From the Manila Times (Feb 5): Informant, not SAF, will get $5M reward

WHO will get the $5 million reward now that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had confirmed that it was indeed Malaysian terrorist Zulkipli Bin Hir alias Marwan who was killed by police commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on January 25?

While some have said that the reward, equivalent to more than P220 million, be given to the families of the 44 slain members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), a ranking official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the money should be given to the SAF informant or informants under the Rewards For Justice (RFJ), the U.S. Department of State’s Counter-Terrorism Rewards Program.

“I knew SAF had an informant in their operation against Marwan,” said the official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

He explained that under the system, rewards are not given to the operating unit that conducted the operation whether they arrest or kill a wanted person.

“But there were instances that informants, who received the reward, gave gratuities to members of the operation unit. Parang balato,” the official said.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin had said the $5 million reward will go to the informant if it was proven that the Malaysian terrorist was dead.

But PNP officer-in-charge Leonardo Espina said he has no idea about the $5 million reward for Marwan’s capture, or who could claim it now that the terrorist has been confirmed killed by the SAF.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday announced that the DNA sample from the small finger taken by SAF troopers from a man killed in the Mamasapano encounter perfectly matched those of Marwan’s brother, who is being detained in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

http://www.manilatimes.net/informant-not-saf-will-get-5m-reward/160782/