A member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was arrested on Thursday for allegedly killing a man in Cotabato City, a belated police report said Friday.
Jonel Pandalat, 25, was nabbed by local police at 1:30 p.m. Thursday for allegedly shooting down Roger Aragona earlier in the day at the corner of Oblate Drive and Governor Gutierrez Avenue in Cotabato City, the report said.
Aragona’s bloodied body was found by police in the said area and was rushed to the hospital after the incident. The victim, however, was declared dead on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds on his head, police said.
Cotabato City police immediately launched pursuit operations, resulting in Pandalat’s arrest. Police recovered an ID inside his wallet identifying him as a member of the MNLF, a secessionist political organization among the Bangsa Moro of Mindanao. A .45-caliber pistol believed used in the Aragona slay, a mobile phone, and cash amounting to P7,000 were also recovered from Pandalat. Police are preparing murder charges against the suspect as of posting time, according to the report.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV,
