7 killed in revenge attacks
COTABATO CITY—At least seven persons died while eight others were wounded in Wao town in Lanao del Sur province in what authorities believe is a case of vendetta killings over the weekend.
Senior Insp. Erickson Banaga, Wao police chief, said investigation was still ongoing. He did not name the victims.
Mayor Elvino Balicao of Wao told reporters that two children were killed on Friday afternoon while they were attending to their carabaos in Sitio Campo Dos, Barangay Park Area.
Balicao said the children, a 15-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy, were separately found dead with hack wounds. Their carabaos were taken by the suspects.
The third child, a 9-year-old boy, witnessed the killings of his companions so he ran for his life. One of the suspects, according to Balicao, chased but failed to catch up with the boy.
Balicao said the girl was believed to be molested before she was killed. He added the boy who witnessed the killings told relatives that the suspects fled to Magampong, also in Park Area.
At dawn of Saturday, a series of gunfires were heard from Magampong.
Four persons were killed on the spot in the strafing. Eight others were rushed to the hospital, according to Insp. Banaga.
Among the dead were a pregnant woman and an elderly.
Balicao said the fatalities rose to seven after one of the wounded in Saturday dawn’s attack died in a hospital in Maramag town, Bukidnon province.
“We are still determining what triggered Saturday’s strafing. The killing of two children on Friday was triggered by cattle rustling or robbery,” Balicao said in a phone interview, adding the suspects were known to the children.
When asked whether Saturday dawn’s strafing was in retaliation to Friday’s killing of two children, Balicao said “we cannot say that yet.”
“We don’t speculate,” he said, adding police and Army personnel are in the area to prevent further violence.
Balicao admitted tension was high in Park Area since Saturday morning. In fact, he said, residents of the two sitios have evacuated.
He appealed to the public not to speculate and allow the police to complete the investigation.
Police have cordoned off the two sitios. Checkpoints manned by police and military personnel were also put up in all entry points in Wao. Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao
