POLICE announced Wednesday, Nov. 5, they plan to subpoena a person of interest in the killing of a former government employee who had publicly raised allegations of corruption within a national agency.
Col. Dexter Paje, the city director of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, told the 21st City Council that the police are moving to compel the individual to appear for questioning in the investigation of Nyruh Kyle Antatico’s murder.
Antatico, a former employee of the National Irrigation Administration-10 (NIA-10), was shot and killed by unidentified assailants while driving in the city’s Patag village on Oct. 10.
Col. Paje confirmed the development to the local council, signaling a concrete step in the ongoing probe into the high-profile killing.
“We are set to subpoena a person of interest in the killing of Nyruh Kyle Antatico,” Paje said during the council session on Nov. 5.Antatico, a Juris Doctor graduate, had previously served as a legal researcher for NIA-10.
Published reports of Gold Star Daily indicate that prior to his death, he had been using social media to expose alleged irregularities, including “ghost projects” and misuse of funds related to irrigation projects in the region.
Antatico’s killing has drawn national attention, with civil society groups and legal organizations demanding a swift investigation.
Reports from the days following the murder noted that investigators were immediately considering the victim’s anti-corruption advocacy and allegations of a threat to his life as a primary motive for the attack.
The former NIA employee’s posts specifically questioned the implementation of a P75 million project, according to local media reports.
Police Regional Office Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) Director Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano previously told reporters that investigators believed the gunmen were likely “guns-for-hire” based on the execution of the crime.
The police have not yet identified the person of interest or detailed the specific reasons for the subpoena.
