Manhunt On: Ex-Beauty Queen Teacher Gunned Down in Isabela, Electric Coop Director Shot Dead in Mindoro
Two shocking killings in separate provinces have prompted PNP Chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. to order a full-scale manhunt for the gunmen responsible. On Friday, February 13, former Miss Philippines-Earth runner-up turned public school teacher Lullete Jane Ramilo-De Guzman was shot dead by an unidentified gunman while inside her car in Barangay Cabaritan, San Manuel town, Isabela. Nakakakilabot — her children were in the vehicle with her at the time of the attack but were mercifully unharmed. She was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
In a separate incident in Oriental Mindoro, Antonio Mendeja — a director of the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative — was shot and killed while making a brief stop to check on his vehicle in the municipality of Pinamalayan. As of the latest reports, the shooter remains unidentified and at large. The PNP has not publicly established a connection between the two killings, but the back-to-back attacks within the same day underscored growing concern about targeted violence in provincial areas.
General Nartatez issued a strongly-worded statement condemning both attacks: "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." He directed the directors of Police Regional Office 2 (Cagayan Valley) for the Isabela case and Police Regional Office 4B (MIMAROPA) for the Oriental Mindoro case to dig deeper into the circumstances and motives behind the slayings.
The PNP also announced a broader response: intensified crime prevention measures including checkpoint establishments, heightened police visibility, and strategic deployment of personnel under the Enhanced Managing Police Operation (EMPO). Nartatez emphasized that these measures should be complemented by aggressive operations against loose firearms and the active accounting of wanted persons — many of whom, he noted, are usually repeat law offenders. He urged anyone with information about either incident to come forward and assist investigators.
The killing of Ramilo-De Guzman, in particular, has drawn widespread public outrage — not only because of her status as a former beauty queen but because she was a public school teacher who was with her children when the shooting happened. Her story has gone viral on social media, with many Filipinos demanding swift justice. The motive behind her murder remains under investigation. Walang lugar sa lipunan para sa ganitong karahasan — and the PNP is under enormous pressure to deliver results. Source: SunStar Philippines, PNA, Manila Times, PTV News
