HOT PURSUIT. Police officers in Datu Anggal Midtimbang town in Maguindanao del Sur get instructions from a senior officer following the killing of two mobile merchants on Wednesday (July 5, 2023). Police investigators have condemned the attack and theorized robbery as the motive behind the incident. (Photo courtesy of Datu Anggal Midtimbang MPS)
DATU ANGGAL MIDTIMBANG, Maguindanao del Sur – Police have condemned the killing of two traders selling home appliances here on Wednesday afternoon.
“Manhunt had been launched; we have persons of interests in this case," Maj. June Olis, municipal police station chief, told reporters on Thursday.
He said the merchants were collecting payments when two men on a motorbike arrived and shot them without provocation around 4 p.m. in Barangay Mapayag.
Olis identified the fatalities as Villanueva Talipagan, 40 of Kidapawan City, and his companion, Maravillas Palagonan, of Davao del Sur.
He believes the attackers were after the sling bag of the victims that contained their daily collections.
“We appeal for anyone who has the information to help us locate the perpetrators,” Olis said.
Col. Raul Sermese, the provincial police director, has directed all police chiefs in Maguindanao Sur’s 24 municipalities to intensify mobile checkpoints and increase police visibility in crime-prone areas.
Police should also seek the help of traditional leaders and local village officials in fighting crimes, he said. (PNA)
