DAVAO (Philippines) - TWO Philippines officials were gunned down in separate incidents on Wednesday, leaving police searching for motives with no groups claiming responsibility for the attacks.

Unknown gunmen shot dead a senior health official monitoring H1N1 flu in the southern Philippines, police said.

Rogelio Penera, the health department's chief epidemiologist for the southern region, was shot late Wednesday on his drive home to Davao city, said police spokesman Superintendent Antonio Rivera. The doctor's 15-year-old daughter was wounded in the attack, Mr Rivera added.

Mr Penera had recently been actively involved in the campaign to check the spread of influenza A(H1N1) in the south. It was not clear if the shooting was related to the doctor's official duties.

Mr Rivera said police were still unsure of the motive, saying it could be a personal grudge or a case of mistaken identity.

Also on Wednesday a Philippines provincial official was assassinated south-east of Manila, in an assault that left three other people dead, including one of the suspects, police said on Thursday.

Danny Yang of the executive council of Laguna province was gunned down on the outskirts of San Pablo city, southeast of Manila, as he attended a local festival, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Manolito Labador said.

Two members of his party were also shot dead while at least two other people were wounded, Mr Labador told reporters, describing the attackers as possible 'guns for hire.' Mr Yang's bodyguard returned fire and killed one of the unidentified suspects, police said.

Four other suspects fled on foot, and one of them is believed by police to be wounded.

The Philippines is due to stage general elections next year. -- AFP