A Filipino father killed his pregnant wife and four young children in a southern Philippine town after losing money gambling, police said Tuesday. The suspect, Bonifacio Pilapil, has been arrested and detained after the killing in Monkayo town in Compostella Valley province, 945 kilometers south of Manila. Police said Pilapil hacked to death his pregnant wife and their four children, aged one to eight, in apparent anger and frustration over losing money gambling last weekend. "The suspect allegedly lost 3,000 pesos (54 dollars) in gambling," an investigator said. "He then tried to sell their water buffalo to get more money, but no one wanted to buy it." "That's when he returned home and attacked his wife and children," the investigator added. Police said prosecutors were already preparing to file five counts of parricide charges against Pilapil. In the past, the suspect's wife had complained of violence by her husband, who at one time skinned her head, according to village security officials.
