The victims, identified as Erwin Soguilon, 28, his wife Nenita, 26, and his father Edgardo, 52, suffered gunshot wounds in their bodies and were pronounced dead on arrival at the Manila Central University Hospital.
The couple’s niece, Lacender 17; is now in critical condition and is receiving medical treatment at the same hospital.
Nenita, an overseas contract worker (OCW) from Japan, had just come home from abroad to spend Christmas with her family at Sitio Pinagkabalian Road in Barangay Obando, along the boundary of Valenzuela and Bulacan.
Police identified the victims’ landlord as Guiller Brinas, 38, who escaped together with his still unidentified companion right after the incident.
Reports showed that the incident took place at about 11 p.m. outside the victims’ apartment in Pinagkabalian Road. The victims had just come home from the airport after fetching Nenita.
The family was just about to enter their apartment when the suspects appeared and without warning, began shooting at the victims with caliber .38 and .32 revolvers.
The suspects immediately fled aboard a motorcycle and left the bloodied victims sprawled right in front of their apartment.
Reports said that prior to the incident, Edgardo had an altercation with Brinas for allegedly failing to pay the rent on time.
Authorities recovered several empty shells of the suspects’ firearms and are now conducting extensive manhunt operations against them.