Police in Carrascal, Surigao del Sur, have launched a deeper investigation into the death of a vocal pro-Duterte vlogger on Sunday morning.
The victim, Philip Morales Engbino, 48, a married native of Minglanilla, Cebu, was also the manager of EZMMI GenCon, a major contractor for Strong Group Mining Corp. (SGMC).
Engbino was driving a company-owned white Dongfeng pickup vehicle when unidentified assailants ambushed and shot him at around 6 a.m.
Maj. Elmar Claret, Carrascal police chief, said the shooting occurred in Barangay Saca, correcting initial online reports that the incident happened along the national highway in Barangay Bacolod,
Company records showed that the pickup truck driven by Engbino left Gate 2 of the SGMC mining facility at 4:35 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, roughly 13 hours before the ambush.
Claret described the incident as an ‘isolated case’ and assured residents that Carrascal remains secure.
‘Our team, along with provincial forensic experts, is working round-the-clock to resolve this case and bring those responsible to justice,’ Claret stated, adding that police visibility, patrols, and checkpoints have been augmented across key areas.
Authorities have urged residents to stay vigilant and avoid traveling alone in remote areas late at night.
Engbino was well known on social media for his staunch political commentary supporting former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Just a day before the shooting, Engbino posted a Cebuano-language vlog slamming former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV over the latter’s exposés against the Duterte family.
The video was widely circulated among Duterte supporters and fellow commentators shortly before his death.
Col. Jeffrey Lawrence Mauricio, Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office director, appealed for calm and cautioned against drawing any conclusions on the killing of the victim while forensic and criminal investigators are still investigating the case.
Mauricio appealed to the public to refrain from formulating, disseminating, or offering baseless speculations while law enforcement authorities are still establishing the true motive behind the crime.