No clear motive on
Malabor's murder?

I totally agree with Vice Gov. Bong Lacson's call to stop speculating about the killing of Board Member Renato Malabor and his bodyguard, LeodyJomilla more than a week ago. My take on this is to allow investigators to do their job and haul those perpetrators to jail.

I maintain again that there is more than one suspect in this double murder and I'd like to qualify it as non-speculation but rather to encourage our law enforcers to look beyond the assassin.

In the news report, Sr. Supt. Samuel Nacion, OIC of the provincial police said there is still no clear motive and despite interviewing the six witnesses, there is not enough proof to file charges against the suspect.

I noticed immediately the singular form of the word suspect used by Nacion and it makes me wonder whether they are even pursuing the claims of Gov. Freddie Marañon that the killings were politically motivated – at least that of Malabor – and are they actually looking into earlier threats the board member received before he was shot to death?

Going back to Vice Gov. Bong's statement to stop speculating as this “sows division,” I wondered what he was referring to. Was he alluding to division among their ranks within Love Negros? Between Love Negros and UNA brought about by this killing, or something else?

Murder is murder. In fact, it should actually not sow division but rather, we should all collectively make a stand against it regardless of party affiliation.

Nacion calling this as an isolated case is true for now but if it will not be resolved soon, this may just be a start of something scarier. The police should make a stronger stand against this and not dismiss this as just another day's work.

In fact, that weekend killing spree, whether they want to shrug it off as ordinary, just eroded years of works to ensure we can boast of a peaceful situation in the province.

For Nacion to call those other shooting incidents as something that also happens in other parts of the country and as such we should not be so troubled leaves a bad taste to the mouth.

But I still in believe in our law enforcers that they will do everything to ensure this case gets resolved. As to speculating, it is definitely not good, but if it provides information that our law enforcers can pursue, then my advise, let's not speculate, but let's not stop talking about it either as this will put pressure on our law enforcers and even among the suspects that we will not let this fade into another bad dream.

With regards to the issue of who is the right candidate to replace Malabor since we are still more than a year away from election, his family has been asking the NPC party to have his son take his place.

I do not know Malabor's son or whether he even has an idea of what a board member's responsibility entails. Of course if his father has taught him the ropes in politics before his untimely passing, then he may be qualified.

I understand where the family is coming from. Putting the board member's junior in his stead will ensure Malabor's spirit lives on. However, if the son is not ready for the position, or has no knowledge about the affairs in the province, I think this decision must be studied thoroughly by the political party of Malabor.

Rest assured, whether it will be his son who will replace him or not, Malabor has left behind an imprint in the province and in Isabela which he has served for many years.*

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