KIDAPAWAN CITY— Police in North Cotabato are following up leads on the whereabouts of two “persons of interest” in the killing Friday afternoon of two government engineers and the wounding of another public worker along the national highway here.
Lt. Col. Dominador Palgan Jr., the city police chief, declined to provide additional details on the perpetrators’ identities and locations but assured that police are continuously pursuing them.
Palgan identified the fatalities as Mohammad Mandangan, chief of the Quality Assurance Division of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 12’s (Soccsksargen) 2nd Engineering District, a resident of Marawi City, and Benhur Piang of Malabang, Lanao del Sur. They died of gunshot wounds.
Another DPWH employee was slightly injured while two others escaped unhurt.
Palgan said the victims were on board a pickup truck driven by Mandangan on their way to the district office from a Friday noon prayer when fired upon by two motorcycle-riding gunmen along the Maharlika Highway at about 1 p.m.
Mandangan reportedly lost control of the steering wheel and hit an electric post. Two of the passengers seated in the back seat jumped off during the first volley of gunshots and sought cover from a nearby gasoline station.