3 people killed in Cotabato strafing incident —police

KIDAPAWAN CITY —Three people were killed, and two others wounded Saturday night when armed suspects on two motorcycles strafed the victims house in Matalam town in Cotabato province in Mindanao.

Matalam town chief of police Major Joseph Brian Placer identified the fatalities as senior citizens couple Ernesta and Jose Getalla, and their daughter Lorena.

Major Placer said the fatalities succumbed to multiple gun shots in various parts of their body.

Also Placer identified the wounded as Daryll Getalla and his aunt, who are being  treated at the Midway Hospital in Matalam.

Placer said the incident occurred at about 6:50 p.m. in Purok Sampaguita, Barangay Poblacion.

Placer said the suspects chased Daryll while on his way home from Kidapawan City.

“The suspects were on two motorcycles and chased Daryll from Kidapawan up to Matalam town,” Major Placer said.

But prior to the strafing incident, Daryll moved his grandparents and his mother into his nipa hut, while he and his live-in partner stayed inside the nipa hut owned by his grandparents, Placer added.

“Perhaps the suspects had already conducted casing operation against Daryll whereabouts, and believing that he is staying in the first nipa hut, the suspects pumped bullets into it,” Placer said.

According to Placer, at about 7 p.m., where everyone had already fallen asleep, the gunmen forcibly entered the house and started shooting everyone in room where they believed Daryl was sleeping.

The suspects left immediately, believing that everyone was dead, he added.

Placer said they have yet to dig deeper into the motive for the attack on the Getalla family. Police are not discounting the possibility that the attackers belong to a drug syndicate. — with a report from Malu Cadelina Manar/LBG, GMA News