MANILA - Officials of Basilan province and former Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday mourned the killing of former Lamitan Mayor Mary Rose Furigay.

Robredo said she was “shocked by the news” Furigay’s shooting.

“She, and her husband, Mayor Oric, were strong supporters of our Angat Buhay program in Lamitan,” Robredo said in a statement posted on her Facebook page.

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Robredo said that under Furigay’s leadership, the Lamitan City Government provided the land in Barangay Buahan where a Yakan Weaving Center now stands.

“We have been to be the beautiful city of Lamitan many times and we join the people in their grief,” the former vice president said.

Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman meanwhile said Furigay was responsible for developing Lamitan City during her 3 consecutive terms, earning the City its Seal of Good Local Governance from 2016 to 2019.

Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman said she was saddene that the crime was perpetrated "against a mother and her daughter who were supposed to celebrate the latter's achievement as they were about to attend the graduation ceremony."

The Hatamans extended their condolences to Furigay's husband, incumbent Mayor Oric Furigay and to the people of Lamitan for their loss.

Rep. Hataman called on authorities "to prosecute the perpetrator in this dastardly crime to the full extent of the law."

“It reminds us to keep on pushing back on everything that promotes a culture of impunity,” Robredo said.

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