Police announced on Wednesday that they plan to subpoena a person of interest in the killing of a former government employee who had publicly raised allegations of corruption within the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
Col. Dexter Paje, director of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, told the city council that authorities 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 NIA-10, was shot and killed by unidentified assailants while driving in the city’s Patag village on Oct. 10.
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. According to published reports, prior to his death, he had been using social media to expose alleged irregularities, including ‘ghost projects’ and the misuse of funds related to irrigation projects in the region.
His killing has drawn national attention, with civil society groups and legal organizations demanding a swift investigation.
Reports in the days following the murder noted that investigators were immediately considering Antatico’s anti-corruption advocacy and threats 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.
Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano, Northern Mindanao police director, told reporters that investigators believe 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 disclosed the specific reasons for the subpoena.