2 killed in Manila shooting incidents

MANILA, Philippines – Two persons, including a 14-year-old boy and a sexagenarian, were killed in separate shooting incidents an hour apart of each other Monday afternoon in Manila, police said.

Teenager Mohammad Diong, of Block 18 Extension, Baseco Compound in Port Area was killed instantly by a gunshot to the chest while 63-year-old Romualdez Pillas, of 1244 Interior 3 Molave Street in Pandacan, was gunned down by a neighbor whose nephew he had allegedly slapped.

The suspects in the two incidents are the objects of a police hunt.

Manila Police District homicide section head Senior Inspector Joselito De Ocampo said that the first incident happened at around 3:30 p.m. on Monday at the New Site of the Baseco Compound in Port Area.

De Ocampo said that Diong was driving a tricycle owned by his father Odonnel when their neighbor Jugie Umandac blocked his path. The teenager was about to steer away the tricycle from Umandac when the latter drew a handgun and fired at the boy, hitting him in the chest.

Diong was killed instantly and the shooter fled.

De Ocampo said that several days before the incident, on December 23, the boy’s father had lodged a complaint with officials of Barangay 649 Zone 48 against Umandac and the two men engaged in a fistfight.

When both fighters were pacified, Umandac allegedly threatened to kill the older Diong and his teenage son.  The slain teenager was immediately given Islamic rites and buried after the incident according to their custom.

At around 4:30 p.m. Monday, Pillas was drinking liquor outside his home when he was allegedly shot to death by his neighbor Gregorio Paches with a sumpak (homemade shotgun).

De Ocampo said that before the incident, Pillas was sitting outside his house when Paches’ nephew walked by. For no reason, the homicide section chief pointed out, the elderly man allegedly slapped the boy, prompting him to run home and tell Paches about their neighbor’s physical assault.

An irked Paches armed himself with a sumpak and confronted Pillas over the attack and the two men argued until the enraged Paches brandished his firearm and shot the sexaganarian. The shotgun pellets hit Pillas in the chest and arm, killing him instantly. Paches fled.