By CESAR JOLITO III
Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya has ordered a cleanup and clearing operation in the Reclamation Area following the brutal killing of a 17-year-old girl, whose body was discovered hogtied in a vacant lot at the Bredco Port property in Barangay 12.
In a letter sent to the management of Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (Bredco), Gasataya requested the immediate clearing of tall grass and overgrown vegetation within their property to prevent the area from being used for illegal or unsafe activities.
The mayor also directed the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office to conduct similar clearing operations on government-owned lots in the reclamation zone.
“We are doing this not just for beautification, but for public safety and to ensure that incidents like this do not happen again,” Gasataya said.
Task group
The order came after Gasataya met with Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director Colonel Joeresty Coronica on Friday, October 24, for updates on the investigation into the teen’s death.
Coronica reported that the BCPO has already formed a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to lead the probe.
The task group is headed by BCPO’s deputy city director for operations and includes investigators from Police Station 1, the Investigation and Detection Management Unit, and the Intelligence Branch.
Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage from nearby private establishments and intensifying visibility and patrol operations in the area.
“We have already sent communications to business owners to secure footage that could help identify those responsible,” Coronica said.
Meanwhile, Gasataya appealed to residents to cooperate with authorities and provide any information that may help in the swift resolution of the case.
“If you have seen or know something, please come forward. Let’s work together to bring justice to the victim and her family,” he urged.
Earlier, Station 3 chief Police Captain Francis Depasucat said 17-year-old Freya Mae Go, whose remains were found at the reclamation area in Bacolod City on October 22, died of asphyxia due to strangulation.
Depasucat also suggested that Go was possibly sexually assaulted, as semen was discovered on her private parts./CJ, WDJ