Arrogante ally pushes P.5M reward for killer

An ally of late Renerio “Gogong” Arrogante III in the town council of Daanbantayan has proposed for a P500,000 reward to be posted for information leading to the identification and arrest of the killer of the businessman.

Councilor Hiram Benatiro proposed the said amount during their session last Friday but Vice Mayor Maria Luisa Loot asked him not to put up the amount and instead gave her son, Mayor Sun Shimura, the discretion as to how much he can allocate from his intelligence fund.

Earlier, Shimura offered a P50,000 reward for the killer of Arrogante who was shot dead inside his establishment, Main Road Square, in Poblacion, Daanbantayan last March 9. 

The council also approved a resolution filed by councilor Gilbert Arrabis Jr., also an ally of Arrogante, condemning the brutal killing of their fellow candidate in the last local and national elections.

Arrogante, Benatiro and Arrabis all ran for councilor against the ticket of Loot and Shimura. Only Arrogante lost.

The National Bureau of Investigation is now handling the case upon the request of the family of Arrogante.

Meanwhile, the family, relatives and friends of Arrogante called for an early solution to the killing.

Sonny Luche, spokesman of a group called the Justice for Gogong Movement said they are following the incident, even as Arrogante is laid to rest today.

"Bisan kon malubong na si Gogong Arrogante, apan kami nga ilang mga suod og mga higala dili gayud muhunong pagpangita sa hustisya sa iyang kamatayon," Luche said. – Jose P. Sollano and Gregg M. Rubio/BRP