Gunman kills volunteer doctor in Lanao Norte

KAPATAGAN, Lanao del Norte–A “Doctors to the Barrios” volunteer was shot dead here on Wednesday evening.

Dr. Drefuss Perlas, 30, of Poblacion Batan in Aklan, was reportedly riding a motorcycle on his way to his boarding house in the adjacent town of Lala when a still unidentified suspect shot him at the back in a dark portion of Barangay Maranding Annex around 7:30 pm.

Perlas reportedly belonged to the 30th batch of the Department of Health’s “Doctors to the Barrios” program.

Senior Insp. Melvin Loquinte, Kapatagan police chief, said people at first thought the victim was suffering from hypertension, but when they noticed it was Dr. Perlas they rushed him to the Kapatagan Provincial Hospital.

Loquinte said they found an empty shell at the crime scene and are still conducting investigation to determine the motive.

Perlas reportedly served as municipal health officer of neighboring Sapad town since 2013 but lived in Barangay Maranding in Lala. Sapad is a hinterland town 18 kilometers away.

“He was a good man and a dedicated health officer,” Loquinte said of the physician.

1Lt. Marloue Decin, Charlie Company Commander of the Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion, said Dr . Perlas led the One-Stop-Shop Medical Mission in the interior barangay of Karkum only on Tuesday together with the local government workers of Sapad, the military and the police.

“He was a great loss for us and the medical team of the province who served and attended the health needs of the Muslim and Christian community in Sapad,” Decin said.

Perlas was once a medical retainer of the 35th Infantry Battalion before the unit was transferred to Jolo, Sulu.

The slain physician’s father, Dennis Perlas, a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Batan, said Dr. Perlas was the eldest of two siblings. (richel umel of mindanews)