PNP orders manhunt for killers of schoolteacher, co-op director
Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Sunday ordered a full-scale manhunt for the gunmen behind two separate fatal shootings involving a former beauty queen in Isabela and an electric cooperative official in Oriental Mindoro.
“Strong words of condemnation against these cowardly attacks are not enough, we will focus on identifying and arresting all those involved in these two killings in the interest of justice and the rule of law,” Nartatez said in a press statement.
Lullete Jane Ramilo-De Guzman, a 32-year-old schoolteacher and a 2013 contestant in Miss Philippines Earth, was shot dead on Friday evening outside her residence in Barangay Cabaritan in San Manuel, Isabela.
In an unrelated incident that same night, more than 600 kilometers away in Oriental Mindoro, Tony Mendeja, 64, was shot dead after he pulled his vehicle over to inspect its light.
The new cases follow the killings last month of a policewoman and her son whose bodies were recovered separately in Bulacan and Tarlac, respectively. Another policeman was also gunned down and his body found in a septic tank in Bulacan.
Reward
San Manuel Mayor Faustino “Dondon” Dy IV has offered an initial P50,000 reward from his personal funds to anyone who can provide “pertinent information that can lead to the arrest of the perpetrators” who shot and killed De Guzman.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Dy said informants may directly approach or give information to the town police officers.
Nartatez has already tasked the directors of the police regional offices in Cagayan Valley and Mimaropa to investigate and determine the suspects’ identities and uncover their motives.
Police said De Guzman was inside a vehicle with her three children while her father opened the gate when a gunman on a motorcycle without a license plate approached and fired at her multiple times.
She was rushed to Manuel Roxas District Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
The three children were unharmed but were apparently traumatized after witnessing the shooting. Authorities reported that the gunman fled eastward along the national road in the town’s District 3.
No suspects have been identified, and authorities are waiting for the crime laboratory’s results to confirm the type of firearm used.
In a statement on Saturday, PCol. Manuel Bringas, provincial director of Isabela Police Provincial Office, said “We will take all steps to identify and apprehend the suspects and provide justice to the victim and his family.”
De Guzman’s partner Clifford dela Cruz, in a Facebook post on the eve of Valentine’s Day, said he was heartbroken to witness his children’s trauma over what happened to their mother.
Mindoro killing
Mendeja was shot in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro, while returning from Calapan City, where he had participated in the signing of a memorandum of agreement for a solar lights project.
He served on the board of directors of Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Ormeco) for the towns of Bongabong and Bansud.
The police reported that Mendeja was rushed to a hospital but did not survive a 9mm caliber firearm gunshot wound to his side.
Nartatez has ordered police commanders nationwide to intensify crime prevention measures, including the establishment of checkpoints, increased police visibility, and strategic deployment of personnel under the Enhance Managing Police Operations.
The PNP chief emphasized taking strong action against unlicensed firearms and keeping close watch on wanted individuals, pointing out that violent crimes are frequently committed by repeat offenders.
This directive is in line with instructions from President Marcos and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla to strengthen law enforcement response and ensure swift justice for victims of violent crimes.
The PNP is urging anyone with information about the murders to come forward and assist investigators as the manhunt continues. —WITH A REPORT FROM VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.
