P1M offered for leads on Lachica murder

MANILA, Philippines – A P1-million reward has been put up for fresh information about who ordered or carried out the murder of Customs deputy commissioner Arturo “Art” Lachica.

The Department of Finance (DOF) announced on Sunday, November 20, that an unnamed individual from the private sector has offered the cash reward for information leading to the arrest of those behind Lachica’s murder. 

“The identity of the would-be informant would remain strictly confidential,” the DOF also said.

Lachica, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) deputy commissioner for Internal Administration Group (IAG), was killed in an ambush along España Boulevard in Manila last Thursday, November 17.

According to the Manila Police District’s spot report furnished to the DOF, Lachica was on his way home to Caloocan City when he was murdered.

The police report said the late deputy commissioner was onboard his Toyota Altis with two BOC contractual employees – his driver Romulo Dumaua and bodyguard Ramon Hernandez – when the suspect wearing a face mask suddenly appeared and shot Lachica several times with a handgun.

Lachica was rushed to the United Doctors Medical Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Fighting corruption

Lachica was a certified public accountant who was appointed deputy commissioner for the BOC IAG in 2014. (READ: Who is Customs deputy commissioner Art Lachica?)

In July 2015, Lachica was designated as deputy commissioner for the Revenue Collection and Monitoring Group and, since his posting there, had been active in filing cases against alleged smugglers and those involved in illegal and misdeclared imports. 

In July this year, Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon appointed Lachica back as IAG deputy commissioner.

Two days before he was killed, Lachica was quoted in a newspaper as saying that he would show to the public all BOC transactions, in a bid to eliminate corruption.

Faeldon vowed that the BOC would “exert all efforts to cooperate with authorities in investigating this incident.”

The DOF said those who have any information relevant to Lachica’s case can contact either head executive assistant Marc Gregory Crisostomo (02-5239215) or technical assistant Alddon Christner Ang (02-5239219). – Rappler.com