2 dead, 1 hurt in Barili, Sibonga shootings

CEBU, Philippines — Two men were killed and another was wounded in separate shooting incidents in Barili and Sibonga, Cebu, on Sunday night, August 23, 2026.

In Barili, a 58-year-old man was shot dead inside his home in Barangay Maghanoy at around 7:50 p.m.

The victim was identified as alias “Nathan,” a resident of the same barangay.

Initial investigation by the Barili Municipal Police Station showed that Nathan was inside his home when the suspect, identified as alias “Lando,” allegedly shot him with a firearm of undetermined caliber.

Nathan sustained a gunshot wound to the head and died at the scene. Responding police officers found him seated on a chair inside the house, with blood on his head. The suspect fled after the shooting.

Police launched a follow-up operation and reviewed closed-circuit television footage as part of their investigation. The footage helped them identify and track down the suspect, prompting a hot-pursuit operation.

At around 6:30 a.m. Monday, August 24, or about 11 hours after the shooting, police arrested Lando near his residence in Barangay Maghanoy.

A companion of the victim, identified as alias “Lyn,” positively identified Lando as the person who allegedly shot Nathan.

Police are looking into a personal grudge as a possible motive after learning that the victim and suspect had previously had a disagreement.

The suspect’s live-in partner also told police that Lando had been holding a personal grudge against Nathan, although she did not elaborate on what caused the alleged grudge.

Lando remains detained at the Barili Police Station pending the filing of a murder complaint against him.

In Sibonga, meanwhile, a 29-year-old farmer was killed and another man was wounded after a gunman opened fire during a drinking and videoke session in Purok 7, Sitio Tabon, Barangay Tubod, at around 9:50 p.m.

Sibonga Municipal Police Station chief Police Major Michael Calaurian said the two victims and their companions were drinking and singing videoke in the area as they celebrated the second victim’s birthday in advance.

Initial police investigation showed that the farmer stood up and walked about 10 meters away from the group to urinate in a dark area.

Calaurian said the gunman appeared to have been waiting in the same area.

A man wearing a black jacket, black bull cap and jeans then emerged from the darkness and repeatedly shot the farmer.

The victim sustained eight gunshot wounds, mostly to the abdomen, and another to the head, causing his immediate death.

The second victim, whose birthday was on Monday, was hit by a stray bullet near his armpit. He was brought to a hospital in Carcar City for medical treatment.

Sibonga police have requested assistance from Scene of the Crime Operations personnel to process and document the crime scene.

Police have also identified a person of interest and are tracking him down.

A conversation recovered from the victim’s cellphone has been included in the follow-up investigation.

Calaurian said police have already established a possible motive for the shooting but declined to disclose details, saying this could compromise the ongoing investigation.

He explained that prematurely releasing the information could affect efforts to establish the person of interest’s connection to the shooting and potentially disrupt the investigation. — (FREEMAN)