ILOILO City – The family of slain pawnshop manager Bonna Hercia Ambay is offering a P120,000 reward to whoever could give information that would lead to the arrest of her killer.
Ambay, manager of RD Pawnshop in Kalibo, Aklan, was stabbed to death either late Sunday night (June 5) or early Monday morning (June 6).
A suspect has been identified – the pawnshop security guard whose whereabouts are now unknown. Police identified him as Mark Archie Torrefiel, 31, of Batan, Aklan.
Charmagne Candari Nojas, Ambay’s second cousin, announced the reward in a Facebook post.
Torrefiel was the security guard on-duty of the pawnshop on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Ambay was found dead inside the pawnshop along Mabini Street, Barangay Poblacion, Kalibo across the Aklan provincial hospital at around 7:40 a.m. on Monday. Her co-employees and incoming security guard on-duty saw her in a pool of blood.
Ambay was a native of Barangay Nauring, Pandan, Antique and temporarily staying in Crossing Buswang, Barangay Poblacion, Kalibo.
Initial investigation showed that early Monday, Torrefiel and his live-in partner left Aklan via roll-on roll off vessel for Luzon.
“If you have any information about his whereabouts, please inform your local police station. We are willing to pay P120,000 cash reward to anyone who can give information that would lead to his and his partner’s arrest,” Nojas announced on Facebook.
The Kalibo police station said one angle being explored by investigators is theft.
“He must’ve thought my second cousin knew the password and tried to force her to open the vault,” according to Nojas.
“But what I couldn’t wrap my head around is he didn’t have to kill her. He could’ve handcuffed her and left her unharmed until the next day. Pero hindi eh, pinatay nya talaga! And the first part he stabbed as her artery in the neck area. But he didn’t stop there! He kept stabbing her. It goes to show he has no conscience! This man is a menace to society and needs to be put behind bars,” Nojas added.
Kalibo police chief Major Jasson Belcina said the security guard as also previously linked to an armed robbery in Manila and a theft case in Batan, Aklan./PN
