Cops eye job-related motive in Sultan Kudarat ambush of 2 cops

COTABATO CITY— The two police officers who were killed in an ambush Tuesday evening in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, may have been attacked due to their work as “strictly dutiful” law enforcers, a top police official said on Wednesday.

Patrolmen Apollo Pagurayan and Joerel Bullos, both detailed at the 1202nd Maneuver Company under the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-12 (RMFB-12), were killed in Barangay Tinumiguis at 7 p.m.

READ: 2 cops slain in Sultan Kudarat ambush

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Brig. Gen. Alan Manibog, Police Regional Office-12 director, ordered a thorough investigation to determine the killers and put them behind bars.

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He confirmed that the slain police officers were assigned to conduct checkpoint operations along the boundary of Lambayong town and Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao del Sur.

He said investigators are looking into a work-related motive, citing the officers’ active role in law enforcement operations at the border control checkpoint.

“They were aggressive in enforcing the law and had several significant accomplishments. Most likely, some individuals were offended by their strict implementation of the law,” Manibog said in a radio interview here.

Manibog said investigators have already identified several “persons of interest” in connection with the ambush, but he withheld further details to avoid compromising the ongoing investigation.

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READ: ‘Persons of interest’ hunted in Sultan Kudarat ambush of 2 cops

Following the incident, Manibog urged all police personnel in Region 12 to remain vigilant and observe heightened security measures while performing their duties, particularly those assigned in frontline law enforcement operations.

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Mayor Romeo Tamayo of Tupi, South Cotabato, condoled with the families of the slain policemen.

Bullos, one of the two police officers killed in the ambush, was a resident of Barangay Cebuano, Tupi town.

Tamayo described Bullos “as a brave and dedicated law enforcer who died while fulfilling his duty.”

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“We mourn the loss of a courageous defender of the law who served with courage, integrity, and selfless dedication. His heroism will never be forgotten by the people of Tupi and the entire province,” Tamayo said./coa