A RETIRED police colonel turned chief public safety officer of the Cotabato City government died while his police escort was injured when they were shot by a gunman on Saturday morning in the city.
A report from the by Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) regional police office yesterday identified the fatality as retired Col. Rolen Balquin, 60, and the injured policeman as Master Sergeant Ariel Gutan.
Balquin, a former Cotabato City police chief, retired from the police service in 2017 and later became the head of the city government’s Public Safety and Order Department.
The victims were shot in front of Mr. Moussetache Milk Teahouse on Sinsuat Ave. at around 9:15 a.m. Balquin was about to grace the opening of the teahouse when the attack occurred.
Police said the still unidentified gunman shot the victims at close range and later fled aboard a waiting motorcycle.
Balquin and Gutan were rushed to a nearby hospital where Balquin died upon arrival. Gutan is recuperating from his wounds.
The gunman used a cal. 45 pistol based on the 11 shells and three bullets that were recovered at the crime scene
In a statement, the BARMM regional police said it is looking into all possible angles.
“Our investigators are now waiting for the wounded PNP officer (Gutan) who just got out of the operating room for a stomach gunshot wound to get his statement and possible identity of the suspects. Other investigators are also backtracking the incident thru identified CCTV (close circuit television) cameras for the possible (identification) of the suspects,” it said, adding: “Motive on the incident is yet to be determined as thorough investigation is now being conducted.”
BARRM regional police director Brig. Gen. condemned the attack and appealed to people who witnessed the incident to come forward so the gunman and his cohort could be identified and the case solved.
