President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has condemned the shooting of a 58-year-old engineer and contractor while on his way to a quarry site in Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental, Malacañang said on Friday, August 29.
“It is only right to investigate that so we can find out the root cause. And we condemn these acts of violence, as stated by the President),” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
The victim, identified as Angelito Mendoza, was shot by unidentified assailants while en route to a quarry site in Barangay San Francisco on Wednesday morning, according to reports.
Authorities have already identified persons of interest but declined to disclose their identities, pending the results of the ongoing investigation.
The incident happened amid the investigation into alleged anomalies in the government’s flood control projects.
Castro assured the public that there will be no harassment of persons involved in the implementation of projects under scrutiny, emphasizing the government’s commitment to a fair and just process.
“We all know what the President wants – those who should be charged must be charged, those who should be held accountable must be held accountable,” she said.
“And the President will still order that this matter be taken seriously, especially by the PNP, to prevent any crimes that may arise in connection with the investigation of the flood control projects.”
Mendoza is confined at the Silliman University Medical Center in Dumaguete City, where he is now in stable condition.*PNA