Sergeant Kills 3 Officers, Woman at Philippine Bar

In Sibulan town, Negros Oriental, Philippines, a police sergeant fatally shot three fellow officers and a woman at a local bar on January 9, prompting the immediate relief of the province's top police director and renewed enforcement of rules barring officers from such venues.

The incident unfolded Friday evening at SAB Resto Bar in Barangay Tubtubon during an informal gathering. Authorities said six officers from the Sibulan Municipal Police Station, led by Chief Capt. Jose Edrohil Cimafranca, had extended Cimafranca's birthday celebration with a singalong session. Staff Sgt. Bonifacio Saycon Jr., a member of the same station, allegedly opened fire on civilian Sheila Mae Dinanao, a bar employee from Zamboanga City, striking her three times after she sat beside Cimafranca. Initial reports cited jealousy as a possible trigger, though investigators later pointed to severe intoxication as a factor, dismissing romantic motives.

Cimafranca and two subordinates, Senior Master Sgt. Tristan Chua and Patrolman Rey Albert Temblor, intervened, disarming Saycon of his .45-caliber pistol and placing him in custody. As they transported him to the station in Cimafranca's vehicle, Saycon...