Hit-and-run: Ex-PDEA7 chief dangles P100k reward for leads

A screenshot of the surveillance footage from a hotel in front of Redemptorist Church captures the moment before Jesral Uriel Larumbe was hit by speeding gray SUV on Feb. 4, 2024. | Contributed

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The former chief of PDEA-7 has dangled a cash reward for leads that would result to the arrest of the suspect in the hit-and-run incident last Sunday.

The hit-and-run incident happened near the Redemptorist Church in uptown Cebu City last Sunday, Feb. 4 that claimed the life of a former basketball player and college student.

The suspect has yet to be identified.

READ: Jeslar Uriel Larumbe: Hit-and-run victim was an MVP on and off the court

But former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional Yogi Felimon Ruiz announced that he would give P100,000 as a reward to anyone who could provide leads to the identification, and eventual arrest, of the driver that caused the death of Jeslar Uriel Larumbe.

Ruiz, who earlier revealed his plans to run for Cebu City mayor in the upcoming 2025 mid-term elections, also condemned the hit-and-run incident.

“These acts of senseless crimes in our city must stop. Our children must feel safe in our streets. We must and should act as one for the future of our children,” he wrote on social media.

As of Tuesday, Feb. 6, police continue to trace the gray sports utility vehicle (SUV) that reportedly hit Larumbe’s motorcycle while traversing the road near the Redemptorist Church last Sunday.

The vehicle was initially reported to have sirens and blinkers on, and a ‘for official use only’ sticker on its side.

Aside from compiling more surveillance footage, investigators have also started gathering information to backtrack further the hit-and-run vehicle’s whereabouts hours before the tragedy occurred.

READ:

Former President Duterte offers P500,000 reward to solve hit-and-run case

Rama: ‘Do not stop looking for person behind ‘hit-and-run’ incident’