Mother, 2 kids killed in machete attack; suspect arrested

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — A woman and her two children were hacked to death in Surigao City on Friday.

The bodies of Mylene Virgen, 40; her son John David, 13, and Mary Elizabeth, 13, which bore multiple hack wounds, were discovered by their neighbors, Lt. Col. Diomedes Cuadra Jr., Surigao City police chief, said.

A machete was recovered at the scene.

Witnesses said Alejandro Cortes, who was arrested in a follow-up operation, was seen hurriedly leaving the residence of the victims in Barangay Luna early Friday.

Virgen’s husband, who works in a mining company in Claver, Surigao del Norte, has been notified about the incident.