Tipster in Ivler's arrest receives half of P1M reward
The tipster who informed authorities of the whereabouts of murder suspect Jason Ivler on Thursday received the first half of the P1 million reward for him. No less than Presidential Chief of Staff Undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr., father of Ivler’s victim Renato Jr., personally handed the P500,000 to the informant at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) main office in Manila about 2:30 p.m. “Masakit, masaya. Kasi [I’m hurt but happy because] I am used to hold a press conference for other stories, but this time I am sitting here and it is about my son," a teary-eyed Ebarle Sr. told reporters at a press briefing. He said the fund was released by the Office of the President through the facilitation of the late Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, who died of heart attack Tuesday morning. "I would like to express my gratitude to (President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) for raising the reward and of course, to the late Press Secretary Remonde, who was always there during my darkest time. He is one of the Malacañang officials who help me sought the president’s approval for the P500,000 reward," he said. The tipster, who was clad in black jacket and a bonnet to conceal his identity, did not grant interviews to the media. "We have to protect his identity. Of all the many persons who gave the information, he was the one who gave us the right information," said Ruel Lasala, the NBI deputy director for intelligence services.