COTABATO CITY – Authorities here are pursuing the killers of two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel after an ambush in this city around noon Thursday.
Capt. Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), identified the victims as Seaman 2nd Class Reniel Agpalo of Nueva Ecija and Apprentice Seaman Louther John Vitor of Butuan City, both assigned to the PCG Cotabato City Station.
A third occupant of their vehicle, Lt. Commander John Paul Cabarrubias, chief of the PCG Cotabato City Station, escaped the ambush unscathed.
“The PCG men aboard the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) were fired upon by two gunmen on a motorbike along Roman Vilo St., Poblacion 6, and Agpalo and Vitor were fatally shot in the head,” Salanguit said in a radio interview, adding that the victims were on their way to their station when the attack occurred.
Salanguit said the gunmen, both wearing masks, sped off in an unknown direction after the incident.
Recovered from the crime scene were seven empty cartridges from a 9mm pistol.
Investigators are still determining whether the attack is linked to the PCG men’s work.
Police have set up roadblocks in the city as part of tightened security, while teams continue scouring the city’s outskirts to catch the culprits. (PNA)
