Seven people, including two top police officers, were killed while 33 others were wounded after a police security aide went berserk yesterday.
The incident occurred at the height of festive celebrations in Kalibo town in Aklan, Central Philippines, yesterday.
National Police chief Director General Edgar Aglipay said among those killed were Senior Superintendent Odelardo Magayanes, the provincial police director, Chief Inspector Manuel Ilejay, who is the municipal police chief, and officer Juan Garion and perpetrator Jonathan Morillo.
Shortly after the shooting incident, Aglipay flew from Manila to Aklan to personally assess the situation in the area. "This is just an isolated case," Aglipay said of the shooting incident.
The violence occurred at a time when Kalibo was celebrating the famous annual feast of the Child Jesus in the region. The colourful celebration, called the Ati-Atihan, is attended by thousands of tourists, both local and from abroad.
Ati-Atihan also marks the Christianisation of native aborigines called Atis more that 400 years ago.
Aglipay said that based on initial investigation, Morillo went berserk in front of the Santo Nino Church around 815am purportedly due to family problems.
Morillo, a close-in security aide of Magayanes, was with the Aklan police chief and four other policemen when the shooting started. Police said that seconds before the shooting Morillo fell back, knelt behind his companions and began firing.
First to be shot was Magayanes who was then about to board his car after attending the mass at the cathedral. Also shot were Garion and an unidentified police driver. All died while being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital.
Aglipay said one of Magayanes' security escorts proceeded to the municipal police station to seek reinforcement to restrain Morillo who was then starting to fire his service revolver at random.
Responding policemen headed by Elijay were shot at by Morillo, killing the officer on the spot. The other lawmen were able to neutralise Morillo.
Among the fatalities were police officer Joselito Tablos and an 11-year-old girl, officials said. One of those wounded was broadcast journalist Conrad Indelible of DY-KR local radio who was covering the festivities when the shooting broke out.
A total of 47 empty shells from an M-16 rifle and a bullet from a 9-mm pistol were recovered from the scene of the shootout, police said.
Regional Police director, Chief Supt. George Alino said Morillo had been acting "strangely" since Saturday night. "His colleagues had noticed that he had been silent since Saturday night," Alino said. Superintendent Wesley Barayuga, police operations and plans division head, said they have started questioning Morillo's wife to determine why her husband went berserk.
Kalibo is just several minutes by boat to the famous Boracay, an island resort famous for its powdery white sand beaches. The violence occurred at a time when Boracay was just recovering from the gruesome killing of three foreigners and a Filipina in the famous holiday island in May last year.
- With inputs from Raffy Jimenez
