Isang milyong pisong pabuya sa makapagtuturo kina Sec. Liza Maza, at iba pa, ‘welcome’ sa PNP; gayunman, hindi ito ‘dead or alive bounty’ @DZMMTeleRadyo pic.twitter.com/Zo1gIKeGjS

— Zhander Cayabyab (@zhandercayabyab) August 6, 2018

MANILA - The Philippine National Police said Monday it welcomed the reward offered by an anti-crime group for the arrest of four leftist leaders.

But the reward for National Anti-Poverty Commission chief Liza Maza and ex-congressmen Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño and Rafael Mariano and Liza Maza is not a dead-or-alive bounty, said PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde.

Albayalde also appealed to the four to surrender as police are mandated to serve the arrest warrant.

Malacañang on Sunday said the reward from Citizen Crime Watch was a private initiative. It also said Maza would remain in the cabinet "unless there is a directive from the President stating otherwise."

A Nueva Ecija court issued arrest warrants against the four, who were accused in the 2006 killing of political rivals.

The camp of the leftist lawmakers said the case was based on "trumped-up charges" filed during the time of then-President and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

A similar case was filed before the Comelec to disqualify Bayan Muna party list but was dismissed. -- report from Zhander Cayabyab, ABS-CBN News