1 dead in predawn shooting

MANILA, Philippines - A 27-year-old man died after he was shot in the face by three unidentified attackers in Caloocan City before dawn yesterday.

Gidion Meralina was walking near the intersection of Rizal Avenue Extension and 5th Avenue with a friend when three men approached them at past 3 a.m. and shot Meralina with a pen gun, hitting him in the upper lip, Chief Inspector Crisencio Galvez said.

Meralina was declared dead on arrival at the nearby Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Hospital, he said.

Investigators have yet to identify the attackers and the motive behind the shooting.