RP navy officers shot dead

RP navy officers shot dead

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (DPA): Two navy officers who failed to abide by camp regulations were shot dead by a policeman guarding the military's headquarters in the southern Philippines, officials said on Thursday.

The slain officers were identified as Lt. Andrew Butikin, executive officer of the Naval Air Group, and Lt. Crisanto Beltran, commanding officer of a naval unit.

Lt. Gen. Edgardo Espinosa, chief of the Armed Forces Southern Command, said the policeman, Sgt. Bernardo dela Rosa, immediately surrendered after the incident.

Espinosa said the two slain officers were riding a Philippine navy jeep when they failed to slow down and turn off the headlights of their vehicle on their way out of the Southern Command headquarters in Zamboanga City, 885 kilometers south of Manila, late on Wednesday.