Woman survives long enough to report massacre horror to cops

TACURONG CITY, Philippines—A 34-year-old woman lived long enough to narrate the horror she and four other victims of a massacre here went through at the hands of motorcycle-riding assailants.

A bloodied Regine Dalogdog had crawled her way to the border of this city and the town of Lambayong in Sultan Kudarat province when she was found.

Supt. Junny Buenacosa, Tacurong City police chief, said the bloodied Regine was able to narrate to the police how she and her companions were flagged down by at least six suspects, all riding in motorcycles, on their way to a village of Lambayong.

The suspects told the victims to alight from their vehicle and lie face down on the ground. Without a word, the victims were shot in the head and body. After the shooting, the gunmen fled.

Regine, according to Buenacosa, played dead and then crawled for about 15 meters (50 feet) from where she and her companions were shot after she saw the suspects leave.

The bullet-riddled bodies of tricycle drivers Manuel Rafael, 32, of Barangay San Emmanuel here; Felix Rodrigo of Apiladi Subdivision, also in this city; Rhea Ramirez, 28, of Dadiangas West, General Santos City; and Joan Mamon, 26, of Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, were later recovered.

Regine, of Barangay Apopong, General Santos City, suffered wounds in the nape and body and was taken to a hospital. But she died about 15 hours later.

Buenacosa would not say why the women from General Santos City found their way to Barangay New Lagao here, a village of the city that serves as its border with Lambayong. But a police investigator said they were probably working as guest relations officers of a videoke bar here.

Buenacosa said police were looking at illegal drugs as a possible motive in the killing.

The gangland-style killings were just the latest case of summary executions involving motorcycle-riding suspects in Central Mindanao.

On Friday last week, three persons were also killed in separate gun attacks in Kabacan and Pikit towns, in North Cotabato province.

In the Pikit case, those killed were identified as Ali Sangkupan and Angkatan Abdilah, both of the same town. They were shot by two men riding a motorcycle.

In Kabacan, North Cotabato, the victim was identified as 56-year-old Prima Manuel, a village health worker assigned to Barangay Kilagasan.

Supt. Jordaine Maribojo, Kabacan police chief, said Manuel was inside the health center when two men on a motorcycle arrived and shot her without provocation. Reports from Edwin Fernadez and Williamor Magbanua, Inquirer Mindanao