Farmer killed while having breakfast with friends in Bukidnon

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A morning meal with friends turned into a bloodbath after a sugarcane farmer was gunned down inside his own hut in Don Carlos, Bukidnon, on Wednesday morning.

Police identified the victim as a 31-year-old male who was having breakfast with four companions at around 7:40 a.m. in Purok 6, Barangay Embayao, when a familiar face stormed in with a gun.

The gunman, identified only as alias “Janjan,” barged into the hut and abruptly opened fire on the victim without warning, according to witness testimony gathered by investigators. The burst of gunfire sent the victim’s companions fleeing in terror in different directions.

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Maj. Al-Nico Haman, chief of the Don Carlos Municipal Police Station, said police officers rushed to the scene following a phone call from a local Civilian Volunteer Organization member.

The responding officers rushed the victim to the Maramag Provincial Hospital in neighboring Maramag town, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body was later transferred to Adlawan Funeral Homes.

Investigators disclosed that the suspect and the victim were acquaintances working in the sugarcane farming trade. The suspect had even occasionally stayed at the victim’s hut, where the crime occurred.

A Scene of the Crime Operations team led by Police Captain Lorenzo Hubayan processed the area between 11:50 a.m. and 3:29 p.m.

In a report submitted to Brig. Gen. Nestor Babagay Jr., regional director of Police Regional Office 10 (PRO-10), Bukidnon Police Provincial Director Col. Oliver Navales said local forces immediately launched hot-pursuit operations, established a dragnet, and activated “OPLAN SHIELD” to track down the fleeing gunman.

Navales ordered Don Carlos police to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the motive and ensure the immediate resolution of the case./coa