Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr. Has ordered a full-scale manhunt for the perpetrators behind the fatal shootings of a former beauty queen and an electric cooperative director, both incidents occurring over the weekend.
Lullete Jane Ramilo-De Guzman, a 32-year-old schoolteacher and former Miss Philippines Earth 2013 runner-up, was shot and killed Friday evening even as in her car with her three children outside her residence in Barangay Cabaritan, San Manuel, Isabela. According to police reports, the assailant approached the vehicle on a motorcycle and fired multiple shots. De Guzman sustained bullet wounds to the face and body and was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital. Her children were unharmed.
In a separate incident, Antonio Mendeja, a director of the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, was shot at close range while briefly stopping to check on his vehicle in Pinamalayan town, Oriental Mindoro.
General Nartatez condemned the attacks, stating that “strong words of condemnation…are not enough,” and emphasized the PNP’s focus on identifying and arresting those responsible, according to a statement released Sunday. He directed regional police chiefs in Cagayan Valley and MIMAROPA to investigate the motives behind the killings and expedite the apprehension of the suspects.
The PNP chief also directed all police commanders to enhance crime prevention measures, including the establishment of checkpoints, increased police visibility, and strategic personnel deployment under the Enhanced Managing Police Operation (EMPO). These measures are to be coupled with intensified operations targeting loose firearms and wanted individuals, described by Nartatez as “usually repeat law offenders.”
De Guzman, who turned 33 on January 22nd, was a teacher at the time of her death. The motive for her killing remains under investigation.
