Residents of Isabela yesterday wept as the funeral car carrying the remains of slain Negros Occidental Board Member Renato Malabor drove through the town amid a drizzle yesterday morning.

The remains of Malabor, 55, who had served as mayor of Isabela for nine years, was brought to his home in Barangay 1, Isabela.

Malabor and his bodyguard Leody “Butch” Jomilla, 52, were shot from the back by a lone gunman with a 9 mm pistol outside a cockpit in Asenso Village, Barangay Guintubdan, Isabela, at 1:10 a.m. Sunday.

Isabela Mayor Enrique Montilla yesterday said he offered the family the use of the municipal hall for the wake but had not gotten a reply yet.

He said he grieves for the family of Malabor and hopes they will attain justice soon.

The family of Malabor has yet to issue a statement on his death, which Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. claimed was politically motivated.

Malabor had planned to run for mayor of Isabela in 2016.

Montilla reiterated that he hopes the governor would be more specific on his claim that the killing was politically motivated. He does not know the governor's basis for such accusation, Montilla said.

He hopes the culprit behind the killing of Malabor is caught soon, Montilla said.

Senior Supt. Samuel   Nacion , officer-in-charge of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said they have five witnesses, so far.

They will also look into the claim that Malabor had made a dying declaration, naming the person behind his killing, he said.

The police are also investigating if death threats were sent to Malabor on his cellular phone that is still in the possession of his family, Nacion added.

Nacion said the killing of Malabor, from the manner of execution, had been planned, but he could not say if the gunman was a professional killer, noting that if it were so, he would have aimed for the head and not the back.

There is no clear motive yet for the killing, he said.

He said police security has been provided to the family of Malabor.

Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the Negros Occidental Sanggunian will discuss today an increase in the bounty offered for the capture of the culprits behind the killing of Malabor.

Marañon on Sunday had announced a P2 million bounty but refused to name the source of the amount.*CPG

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