2 more shot dead in Cotabato City

COTABATO City, Philippines – Two more were killed while two others were wounded in shooting incidents in the past three days, preceded by Tuesday's attack at a hospital that left three watchmen on-duty wounded.

More than 300 people have been killed in Cotabato City in attacks since 2010. Most of the killings remain unsolved.

The latest shooting incidents that scared anew the local folks occurred Wednesday at the busy intersection of Mabini and Don Rufino Alonzo Streets, where two laborers were wounded.

The victims, Fibrasid Imbing and companion Ibrahim Impao were shot and wounded by a lone suspect, who scampered away after sensing that the gunshots that rang through the scene triggered a commotion.

The incident was preceded by the fatal shooting several hours earlier along a busy street here of Opek Manungkarang, an employee of the Maguindano provincial engineer’s office.

The murder of Manungkarang was followed by another shooting incident near the city’s old market site that resulted to the death of a certain Nur Gulo, an ethnic Maguindanaon.

Three security guards of the Cotabato Regional Medical Center here were shot and wounded Tuesday night by two men riding a motorcycle while they were guarding the entrance gate of the hospital.

The suspects took the M-16 rifle of one of the wounded guards before they left riding a Honda 200R motorcycle.