CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Region 10 employee who had reportedly been exposing alleged anomalies within the agency was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assailants in Cagayan de Oro City, Friday afternoon.

Police identified the victim as Atty. Niruh Kyle D. Antatico, a lawyer and former legal officer of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) assigned in Misamis Oriental and Camiguin, who later joined the NIA regional office in Northern Mindanao.

According to Police Major Peter Tajor, commander of Police Community Precinct 4, Antatico was driving his Nissan sedan in Zone 1, Crossing Patag, when a motorcycle drew up beside his vehicle. The back rider then pulled out a pistol and shot him several times, hitting him in the neck and side.

The victim’s car swerved out of control and crashed into the rear of a truck. Oro Rescue personnel rushed him to J.R. Borja General Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Scene of the Crime Operatives recovered four spent 9mm shells at the site. Tajor said police are reviewing CCTV footage and conducting a hot pursuit operation against the perpetrators.

“We are following leads that the shooting was work-related,” Tajor said, noting that Antatico had received death threats prior to the incident in connection with a case he was handling.

In a social media post, Atty. Bagani Llesis, a fraternity brother of the victim, said Antatico had been exposing alleged “ghost projects” and other irregularities within NIA Region 10 before he was killed.

“The country must know, one man has offered his life to expose ghost projects, this time, not in the DPWH, but in the National Irrigation Administration,” Llesis wrote.

“He received threats when he exposed anomalies in his workplace, yet he did not remain silent.”

Llesis described Antatico as a principled lawyer who stood for truth and accountability despite threats to his safety.

“He died young, just like our heroes Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. Like them, he stood up for what he saw as right,” Llesis said.

“If there is still hope in our country, we must condemn the killing and find justice. No aim but justice. No guide but conscience. No master but the law.”

Authorities are investigating whether Antatico’s killing was directly linked to his efforts to uncover alleged irregularities in NIA projects — an incident that highlights ongoing corruption concerns in public infrastructure programs.