P1.4-million reward offered for info on missing pageant contestant, Israeli BF

A reward of over P1 million is being offered to anyone who can provide information regarding the missing pageant contestant from Pampanga and her Israeli boyfriend.

According to a report on "24 Oras" by CJ Torida of GMA Regional TV, it has been two weeks since beauty pageant candidate Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend Yitshak Cohen disappeared.

Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda and Vice Gov. Lilia Pineda have offered a P1 million reward on top of the P250,000 put by Cohen's family and the P150,000 by the local government of Sto. Tomas town, where Lopez's family lives.

The Special Investigation Task Group is looking into all the angles that could help in the investigation.

Police said it was premature to consider Geneva's boyfriend as a person of interest, as well as the former police officer in Angeles City who is reportedly the middleman in their land purchase.

“On the part of the middle man, siya naman po ay kusang pumunta po sa police station nagbigay po siya ng pahayag pero investigation would somehow consider this as additional information. Kailangan nating i-validate, i-confirm at i-vet yung mga sinasabi niya pong pahayag at i-cocompare natin yan sa mga na-recover at kino-collate pa po nating ebidensya,” said PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo. 

(On the part of the middleman, he voluntarily went to the police station and gave a statement, but the investigation would somehow consider this as additional information. We need to validate, confirm, and vet the statements he is making and compare them with the recovered evidence that we are still collating.)

The middleman initially said that he accompanied the couple to the land they were interested in but they eventually went separate ways.

"Siya ay nakipag-usap nga sa magkasintahan na ito at naghiwalay na sila pagkatapos ng site visit nila sa lupang bibilhin at nabalitaan na lang nila na nakita 'yung abandoned na vehicle,” said Police Major General Leol Francisco, PNP-CIDG Chief. 

(He did talk to this couple and they separated after their site visit on the land and he just heard that the abandoned vehicle was found.)

Based on the result of the macro etching performed by the police on the abandoned SUV, it appeared that its chassis and engine number were not tampered with.

The fingerprints obtained by the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) from the vehicle are also said to be of great help in knowing the identity of the people who used it.

The PNP-CIDG said there was no indication that they had died.

"Malabo pa po 'yung ganung anggulo dahil sa ngayon ay wala pa tayong nakikitang body or anything na makakapag-ugnay kung sila ay buhay o patay pero we are hoping na sila ay buhay,” said Francisco. 

(That angle is still unclear because we have yet to see a body or anything that would indicate if they were alive or dead but we are hoping that they are alive.)

Meanwhile, there is no new statement from their families. —NB, GMA Integrated News