A Filipino Chinese nurse was shot and killed by armed men on Saturday in the southern Philippines, police said on Sunday.

The victim, Marjorie Kwan, 23, a registered nurse, was heading home in Paciano Bangoy in Davao City around 11:30 a.m. when she was attacked by two men on board a single motorcycle, said Senior Inspector Ronald Lao, a local police commander.

Lao said the motive was robbery as the attackers tried to grab the victim's bag but she refused to surrender her bag, forcing one of the perpetrators to shoot her.

Kwan died on the spot due to fatal wounds she sustained in the head, hand, chest, and back.

Police have launched a manhunt against the suspects.