A 32-year-old former beauty pageant runner-up was shot and killed inside her vehicle in front of her home in Barangay Cabaritan on Friday evening, police said.
The victim, teacher Lullete Jane Ramilo-De Guzman, suffered gunshot wounds to the face and side of her body and was declared dead at Manuel Roxas District Hospital.
Authorities said Ramilo-De Guzman was inside a Toyota Fortuner with her three children when her father stepped out to open the gate. A gunman riding a motorcycle without a plate number reportedly entered the area and fired multiple shots. The children were unharmed but witnessed the shooting. The assailant fled east along the national road in the town’s District 3.
Ramilo-De Guzman previously competed in the 2013 Miss Philippines-Earth pageant, earning the runner-up title as well as minor awards, including Miss Global International and Miss Genuine Person. She also held a Bachelor of Secondary Education degree from the University of Perpetual Help System Laguna-Isabela campus.
Major Rogelio Natividad, San Manuel police chief, said investigators are exploring personal, work-related, and other motives but have not identified any suspects. Authorities are awaiting the crime laboratory’s report to determine the firearm used.
Ramilo-De Guzman’s live-in partner, Clifford Dela Cruz, returned to Isabela from Manila after learning of her death and condemned the killing in a social media post, noting it occurred in front of their children. Police urged residents to report any suspicious individuals to prevent similar incidents.