The Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) has identified several persons of interest in the shooting of whistleblower Niruh Kyle Antatico.
This came after a special inter-agency investigation team was created to probe the death of Kyle Antatico, a former National Irrigation Administration (NIA) legal researcher who was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen while driving his car in Cagayan de Oro last Friday, October 10, 2025.
As reported by Rappler, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Major Joan Navarro said Tuesday that investigators have identified the possible suspects based on initial leads, while Police Captain Perlita Simon disclosed that authorities have obtained CCTV footage of the crime scene.
“We have persons of interest that we’re looking at. We are confident that, at the soonest time possible, we will resolve this case,” said PRO-10 Director Brigadier General Christopher Abrahano.
While he declined to divulge the identity of the persons involved due to the ongoing investigation, Abrahano added that Antatico received death threats as early as last year.
The NIA central office also offered a P100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the individuals.
Antatico, 40, was shot by assailants riding a motorcycle along the highway in Barangay Patag, Cagayan de Oro. iMPACT Leadership quoted Abrahano’s claim that investigators believe the possible suspects were “gun-for-hire” based on their modus operandi and movements.
Prior to his untimely demise, Antatico, described by his friends as a “quiet but steadfast government worker who spoke out against corruption despite mounting risks,” took to social media where he exposed the alleged “anomalies” of the NIA regarding a P75-million irrigation project in Lanao del Sur. In a separate report by Rappler, Antatico had requested the NIA central office to inspect the project, which was declared completed in late 2022, but was allegedly “broken, silted, and unstable.”
“On paper, it was finished, signed off, and paid for,” wrote Rappler.
After leaving the agency last year, Antatico wrote a letter addressed to NIA Administrator Eduardo Guillen, Regional Manager Larry Franada, and Lanao del Sur Manager Abdulrahim Paunte, and posted it on Facebook.
A portion of his letter read: “Are we merely implementing irrigation projects, paying contractors, and then abandoning them? Are we allowing these projects to deteriorate so they can be later funded again for so-called ‘repairs’ or ‘restoration’?”
Antatico’s close friend and football teammate Percival Batar, told the digital news organization that the former’s resignation came after he was transferred from the legal office to procurement. However, Batar said the reassignment was because Antatico had been exposing the alleged irregularities in projects being shouldered by the regional office.
They also knew about the threats on his life through text messages since late last year, but they “all took them lightly and even laughed about it.”
