MANILA, Philippines—As Catholics marked the passion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, eight persons, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed in six separate incidents during what the police said might have been the most violent 24-hour period in Quezon City.

“Considering that all the cases happened within a 24-hour period, I can say that it was the most violent day” in the city, Supt. Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said.

According to reports from QCPD-CIDU, the series of killings started at around 1:10 a.m. Friday when Edison Varona, 19, was stabbed dead by his neighbor, Roger Ballon, in front of the victim’s house on Jordan Dalo Street, Sitio Tawid Sapa Uno, Barangay San Agustin.

Witness Ernest Reyes told police investigators that he saw the victim being chased by the suspect.

Police have yet to ascertain the motive for the killing but said Ballon, who hurriedly escaped after the incident, was believed to be involved in illegal drugs and robberies in the area.

Almost an hour later, three alleged victims of summary executions were discovered inside a subdivision in Barangay North Fairview.

The body of Jobilly Asanz, 27, of Barangay Carumay, Valenzuela City, was found by security guard Giovanni Tolentino in front of a house on Benson Street in Fairmont Subdivision.

A few minutes earlier, Dr. Ave Belen Alenzuela, a resident in the area, sought Tolentino’s help after she was roused from sleep by two successive gun shots.

More than three hours later, the bodies of Juvy Matias, 34, and that of her son, Jayson, 14, were found a few blocks away from where Asanz’s body was discovered.

The victims, who had the same address as Asanz’s, bore several stab wounds.

Mabanag said the murders of Asanz and the Matiases were the offshoot of a botched drug deal.

At around 5:30 a.m., tricycle drivers discovered the body of fellow driver Jose Prado, 30, inside his tricycle in Barangay Batasan Hills.

Though Prado’s body had no visible wounds, QCPD investigators are not discounting foul play in his death.

Meanwhile, a heated argument between two groups of young men who had just visited the Grotto Shrine in San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan, led to the death of an 18-year-old student in Novaliches.

Nicolo dela Cruz, of Sta. Quiteria, Caloocan City, was gunned down by a 16-year-old boy at a traffic intersection on Quirino Highway, Barangay San Bartolome at around 7:45 a.m.

In Barangay Valencia, Cubao, Jess Villaflor, 47, died after his fellow scavenger, identified only as Aries, mauled him to death at around 12:30 p.m. after the latter got irked when the victim tried to get his leftover rice.

At around 6 p.m., Glenn Acma was hacked to death by Ricardo Villarin Sr. and his sons, Ricardo Jr. and Richard, over an argument during a billiard game. Police arrested the elder Villarin while his sons are still at large.