Marañon clears Isabela mayor on Malabor slay

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines —“It was not Mayor Enrique ‘Quito’ Montilla III,” who Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. earlier referred to as the politician who was behind the assassination of 5th district Provincial Board Member Renato Malabor.

“I was not referring to him (Quito). It’s not him. It’s a politician. Read the affidavit because it’s long),” the governor said about the affidavits of the witnesses that mentioned about the politician.

These affidavits were not shown to the media because the case was not yet filed in court. “The witnesses are being protected. Someone may run after them,” said Marañon.

The governor said there was nothing to mediate with his alleged misunderstanding with Montilla because they did not fight in the first place. “Did we fight? What did we fight about?”

The reported rift stemmed after Marañon insisted that the killing of Malabor was politically-motivated and that the mastermind behind the incident was a politician because the victim earlier announced he will run for mayor of Isabela in the 2016 elections.

Marañon, however, refused to name the politician, but Montilla, who belong to the opposition Love Negros group, dared the governor to identify the politician because he had been bashed in the social media due to Marañon’s “reckless statement.”

Marañon said the mayor has nothing to worry about because he was not referring to Montilla.

Malabor and his bodyguard, Leody Jomilla, were shot dead in Isabela town on June 28. The Prosecutor’s Office has yet to resolve the two murder complaints, which was filed on July 29, against the 10 suspects, including a police officer. — (FREEMAN)