BACOLOD City – The abduction and eventual killing of Muslim elder and businessman Ontao Sacar won’t adversely affect this city’s image as “most business-friendly”, according to Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
The incident was believed to be either business- or drug-related.
According to the mayor, the city’s economy has remained vibrant despite the ongoing drug war.
Early this week, Sacar was abducted by armed gunmen as he was heading home to Barangay 10. His body was eventually found at the back of a hotel in Barangay Mandalagan.
Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico confirmed that Sacar gave himself up to Police Station 6 in September 2018 in line with the antidrug campaign of the police.
The BCPO spokesperson, however, said probers have not concluded for certain that the killing was drug-related.
As instructed by BCPO director Police Colonel Henry Biñas, cops were exploring all possible angles, he stressed.
“We are not disregarding [the possibility] the case [may have] stemmed from illegal drugs, but we are also looking at business interests and personal grudges,” Pico said.
The Muslim community in the city expressed outrage over Sacar’s murder and denied that their elder was engaged in drug trafficking./PN
