More policemen were sent by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office to Isabela to augment its police force, as the investigation into the assassination of Board Member Renato Malabor and his bodyguard continues, town police chief, Senior Inspector Ramil Sarona, said yesterday.

Although he did not disclose the number of newly-arrived policemen, Sarona said that some members of the town police force have already been deployed to the house of the slain board member, to secure the Malabor family.

Malabor and Leody “Butch” Jomilla were gunned down June 28 by a lone assassin outside a cockpit in Brgy. Guintubhan, Isabela.

Senior Supt. Samuel Nacion, NOPPO officer in charge, who went to Isabela Friday to spearhead the continuing probe of the police task force on the killings, admitted that the testimonies of several witnesses cannot be used in filing cases against the gunman.

Nacion, however, said that their gathering of additional evidence continues without letup.

Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and the colleagues of Malabor in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental have put up a P2.5 million bounty for information that would lead to the arrest of the gunman and his accomplices.

Nacion said the task force created by the Police Regional Office 6 will also meet with National Bureau of Investigation probers, who are conducting a parallel investigation, to compare notes.

Inspector Raymundo Franco, spokesman of the task force, said Friday that based on testimonies of some witnesses, they had not seen the actual shooting of the victims.

The NBI said that five to six suspects may have been involved in the assassination of Malabor and Jomilla, which Marañon alleged was politically-motivated.

Sarona said there was no schedule yet for the burial of Malabor, as of yesterday.*GPB

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