Investigators in Manapla, Negros Occidental are weighing a personal dispute as the likely reason behind the fatal shooting of a 57-year-old man during a village fiesta on Sunday, August 23.
The victim, whom authorities identified only as Mauro, ran a piggery business and lived in Barangay 1-A, where the killing took place. He had previously worked abroad as an overseas Filipino worker before returning home.
According to Police Capt. Marion Vincent Buenaflor, chief of the Manapla police, the attack unfolded as Mauro drove through the barangay with his wife riding beside him in the passenger seat. A gunman who has not been identified opened fire from the driver’s side of the vehicle. Mauro sustained a gunshot wound to his left ear and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His wife came through the attack without injuries.
Buenaflor said witnesses reported seeing the assailant positioned along the roadside moments earlier. A motorcycle intended for the escape had been left across the street, tended by a second person whose identity remains unknown. The couple had been heading home shortly before noon when the shooting occurred.
Officers collected three spent rounds from an unidentified firearm at the location. Citing the delicate nature of the case, Buenaflor declined to release additional details while the inquiry continues.
