Suspect in police slay in North Cotabato town yielded to authorities

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Police authorities in M’lang town in North Cotabato today filed murder charges against a certain Jerson Pakhat after he voluntarily yielded and admitted killing on Monday a police intelligence officer.Superintendent Peter John Calinga, chief of the M’lang PNP, said Pakhat surrendered to M’lang Mayor Russel Abonado, around 2 p.m., on Monday.Immediately, Calinga and his men picked the suspect and transported him back to the police station where he was placed under their custody while charges are being prepared against him.Pakhat told Calinga that he killed Police Officer 3 Lovel Tan, chief of the intelligence unit of the M’lang PNP, after the latter included him in the list of extortionists now subject of police manhunt and operations.Pakhat is among Tan’s assets or informants while doing his intelligence works.When the suspect learned that he was listed as among the extortionists operating in North Cotabato and Maguindanao, he went to Tan’s boarding house on Monday and confronted him.The two, accordingly, had a heated argument.Calinga said that when Pakhat attempted to get his gun tucked in his waist, PO3 Tan run next to his room to get his own pistol.But while on the run, the suspect shot him on his back. Even if PO3 Tan was already down, the suspect shot him many times.In fact, we recover at least six empty bullets from the suspect’s caliber 45 pistol, said Calinga.Tan’s murder is third in M’lang.The latest was the killing of a government employee working for Mayor Abonado.The alleged hired killer was already arrested in his town in Antipas, North Cotabato.