By Jennifer P. Rendon
A village chief and her husband were fatally shot in broad daylight on December 5 in Dueñas, Iloilo.
Barangay Captain Michelle Lapastora Lamela, 47, and her husband, Rodney Arellano Lamela, 48, residents of Barangay Sto. Niño, were ambushed while on their way to the town proper.
The couple, traveling on a motorcycle driven by Rodney, was passing through Barangay Tinucuan around 9:30 a.m. when two men on a motorcycle intercepted them.
Initial reports described the gunman as a heavy-built man wearing a black sweatshirt and a crash helmet. His accomplice, described as medium-built, parked the motorcycle at a short distance while the gunman approached the victims.
Using a caliber .45 pistol, the gunman repeatedly shot the couple, hitting multiple parts of their bodies.
Responders rushed the victims to Don Valerio Palmares Sr. District Hospital in Passi City, but they were declared dead on arrival.
The suspects fled in the direction of Dingle town following the attack.
Major Rolando Araño, spokesperson for the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), said authorities are exploring three potential motives: old grudges, politics, and a land dispute.
In 2008, Rodney faced homicide charges, but the case was dismissed after he claimed self-defense. Last year, their hut was strafed by unidentified assailants, suggesting they had prior threats.
Araño noted that politics might be a significant angle, as Michelle was an elected barangay official. While the land dispute involving the couple was reportedly resolved, investigators are not ruling out its relevance.
Authorities are also investigating whether the assailants were hired gunmen.
The investigation is ongoing as police work to identify the perpetrators and determine the motive behind the attack.
