Officials offer 300K cash for arrest of killers of provincial journalist

TACURONG CITY --- Officials have offered P300,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the killers of local journalist Leo Diaz.Diaz, a columnist of a tabloid published weekly in General Santos City and a volunteer reporter of station dxMY in Cotabato City, was shot dead by gunmen on Monday in President Quirino town in Sultan Kudarat.Sultan Kudarat Gov. Pax Mangudadatu told reporters on Thursday that he has allocated P200,000 for the bounty, to be augmented with P100,000 more by the President Quirino municipal government. We have a total of P300,000 cash reward for any informant who can help identify the suspects in the murder of Leo, Gov. Mangudadatu said.Diaz was riding a motorcycle en route to Tacurong City from his house in Barangay Katiku, President Quirino when two bikers trailing behind overtook, blocked his path and shot him with .45 caliber pistols.He died on the spot from multiple gunshot wounds.Senior Supt. Raul Supiter, director of the Sultan Kudarat provincial police, said investigators are still trying to identify the culprits and their motive for killing Diaz.Relatives of Diaz are convinced the incident could be related to his work.He was known in Sultan Kudarat province as a hard-hitting tabloid columnist.