HIMAMAYLAN City Mayor Raymund Tongson has condemned the shooting to death of a public school teacher at the locality’s Barangay Caradio-an Sunday night, May 8.Tongson, in a statement, said he ordered the police to exhaust all efforts to arrest the killers of Mercy Nequia-Miguel, who will supposedly serve in Monday’s elections.The mayor also extended his sympathy to the relatives and family of Nequia-Miguel as he appealed to the public to stop speculating that the incident was election-related.For its part, the Department of Education (DepEd) also condemned the killing and denounced any acts of violence and injustice toward teachers, who have dedicated their lives to the Filipino children and are now selflessly serving the country in this year’s elections.“We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the victim,” the line agency in a statement said.DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones has instructed the Office of the Undersecretary for Finance to provide financial and other necessary assistance to Miguel and her family.Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Reynante Jomomacan told SunStar Bacolod that they already ruled out the angle that the incident was election-related.Despite the fact that Miguel’s husband is a first cousin of a candidate, the couple is not involved in politics or in campaigning, especially that the victim is a government employee, Jomocan said.As of Monday, the Himamaylan City Police Station is still trying to establish the real motive behind the killing, he said.Jomocan said they are not discounting the possibility that the incident could have been a case of mistaken identity.Around 8 p.m. Sunday, May 8, Miguel and her husband were in front of the plaza of Barangay Caradioan when unidentified suspects opened fire at them, hitting her on the stomach.The police said Miguel’s husband was trying to remove huge stones obstructing the road when they were shot.Miguel died while being treated at the Governor Valeriano Memorial Hospital in the southern Negros Occidental city.