By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
Six people, including four children, were shot dead and their house burned by unidentified suspects in the province of Agusan del Norte on Sunday, a police official said on Tuesday.
Chief Superintendent Danilo Empedrad, director of police regional office 10, identified the victims as the Suarez family composed of husband and wife Manuel and Jocelyn and their children Jan Mark, 6, Bebi, 5, Along, 2, and Niño, two months-old.
Initial investigation revealed that the incident occurred at around 11:35 a.m. across the Nilugos River in Sitio (sub-village) Mimbalit, located 14 kilometers from Barangay (village) Kamanikan in Gingoog City.
The victims were among those asked to evacuate because of the ongoing clash between the military and communist New People's Army (NPA) in nearby Sitio Sio-an, Barangay Malinao in Gingoog City.
However, the victims decided to return to their home.
Later on, residents reportedly heard gunshots and, upon checking, local residents discovered the bodies of the Suarez family, their house burned down, Empedrad said.
Police are looking at the NPA as the possible suspects in the killing because it was "an NPA infested area," Empedrad said.
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