MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/29 July) – The number of fatalities in the blast in Cagayan de Oro City on Friday night has climbed to eight as two more victims who were in critical condition died in a hospital.
Reynaldo Dalupan passed away around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, while Marciano Agustin III died early this morning from shrapnel wounds they sustained in a bombing that ripped through a row of restaurants at the Limketkai Rosario Arcade
Dalupan, a medical representative of Unilab, and Agustin III, a physician, were confined at the Polymedic Plaza in Cagayan de Oro. Like many of the other victims, they were in northern Mindanao’s port city to attend the midyear convention of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians.
Three victims died on the spot. They were identified as Emmanuel Palafox, district manager of pharmaceutical firm Novartis Sandoz; Anthony Canete, a resident of Iligan City; and Jose Ryan Estose, also a resident of Iligan City.
Three others identified as Misamis Oriental Board Member Roldan Lagbas; Anthony Paredes, a resident of Barangay Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro; and Dr. Erwin Malanay, a resident of Manila, died in the hospital from injuries sustained in the explosion.
No suspects have been arrested, but police yesterday said they have found metal fragments of what could be gunpowder residues and a mobile phone circuit board believed to have been used in the blast that also injured over 40 people.
On Sunday, however, police reconstructed the crime scene on orders from Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas.
Roxas scolded Cagayan de Oro police after he found that the crime scene was cleaned up less than 24 hours after the incident. (MindaNews)