COTABATO City checkpoint (FB)
COTABATO CITY – Police have intensified anti-crime operations by setting up more checkpoints and increasing patrols in crime-prone areas following three separate shootings over the weekend that left four people dead.
"Our personnel are conducting intensified patrols, checkpoints, and intelligence-driven operations to identify and apprehend the perpetrators," city police director Police Col. Jibin Bongcayao said in a radio interview Monday.
Mayor Bruce Matabalao said the city government is fully supporting law enforcement efforts.
"I have directed law enforcement to intensify operations, increase police visibility, strengthen intelligence gathering, and pursue those responsible with urgency," Matabalao said in a statement Monday.
"We will provide our full support until those behind these crimes are identified, arrested, and brought to justice," he added.
The shootings, which occurred Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning, left four people dead and six others injured.
Among those wounded was an off-duty police officer assigned to Maguindanao del Norte who was passing through the area when one of the shootings occurred. He was struck by a stray bullet and is in stable condition in a hospital.
Bongcayao said those involved in the violence were from neighboring towns in Maguindanao del Norte, not Cotabato City residents.
Police believe the attacks stemmed from a "rido," or family feud, that originated in their hometowns and spilled over into the city.
Bongcayao urged residents to cooperate with authorities by providing information that could help identify and arrest the suspects. (PNA)