Police Captain Roland Arnold Moralde (photo: PNP-PIO)
Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has ordered an investigation into the death of a police captain in a shootout in a public market in Parang, Maguindanao on Thursday, May 2.
What Marbil wants to find out are the identities of armed men who traded shots with Police Captain Roland Moralde, in what appears to be an effort to help a gunman whom the police officer first engaged in a firefight.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the motives behind this tragic incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. I urge individuals with relevant information to come forward and cooperate with authorities,” said Marbil.
Based on the report, Moralde responded to a complaint by local residents against Mohiden Ramalan Untal who was seen with a gun while roaming around the public market.
A firefight erupted between Moralde and Untal when the police official tried to frisk the latter at around 11 a.m. at the public market in Barangay Poblacion 2 in Parang town.
Moralde was a member of the Regional Mobile Force Company (RMFB) 14, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“Furthermore, it was noted that during the exchange, additional unidentified suspects arrived at the scene and engaged in gunfire with the victim. The ensuing confrontation left both the victim and one of the suspects with gunshot wounds,” the police report read.
Both Moralde and Untal were declared dead when they were taken to the nearby hospital.