Police identified the victims as SPO1 Rocky Guialal, member of the Sultan Kudarat PNP, and PO2 Mustapha Amil, assigned at the Police Precinct No. 1 of the Cotabato City PNP. A third policeman, Police Supt. Greg dela Cruz, escaped death but was seriously injuired.
SPO1 Guialal, who was assigned at the Marhaban PNP in Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan, was shot dead 7:30 a.m. here by two motorcycle-riding men. A bystander identified as Nasser Taha was hit by stray bullet, a police report said.
At 7:00 pm the same day, one of two motorcycle-riding men shot dead PO2 Amil while he was inside his store in Pansacala Street here.
Minutes later, motorcycle-riding armed men also shot but only wounded Supt. Greg dela Cruz along Sinsuat Avenue here. The suspects rode on an unmarked motorcycle.
Meanwhile, residents discovered and reported to police the still unidentified cadaver of a man along a riverbank in Boliao-Dos in Barangay Poblacion-Mother here.
The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body. Authorities believed he was a victim of 'salvaging' or 'summary execution.'
The spate of killings here has alarmed residents.
Text messages had circulated in the city since Monday saying there would be 24 people set to be executed in a week's time by a still unidentified 'group'.
And since Monday also, five people were already killed, two of them policemen and two were government workers.
"It is our obligation to conduct deeper probe on these spate of killings. Let those responsible persons answer [these crimes] in court. We will give justice to the victims," said Chief Supt. Willie Dangane, chief of the Cotabato City PNP. (MindaNews)