Priest denies affair with hostage-taker’s widow

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A Catholic priest, who was held hostage here last Saturday by a man who claimed the clergyman was having an affair with his wife, faced the media the other day and denied that such a relationship existed.

Fr. Reymar Dagoc denied that he had any affair with Arlyn Lerios, his former secretary, that prompted her husband, Anton, to take the priest hostage inside the Holy Cross Church convent.

Lerios’ husband was shot in the chest and abdomen by policemen after a nine-hour standoff.

Lerios recently quit as Dagoc’s secretary and went to Cebu because her husband had been allegedly beating her up during fits of jealousy.

Msgr. Rey Monsanto, vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, said Dagoc has asked for a two-month leave of absence to pave the way for an investigation into his alleged affair with Lerios.

"We must find out the truth, and by getting the sides of all those privy to the scandal, we would clear the air," Monsanto said.

He said they were saddened by the fatal shooting of Lerios’ husband, describing it as "unnecessary."

"When the police decided to launch the assault, the Church did not take part since it was out of the Church’s responsibility," he said.

Asked whether he admitted about the affair during the hostage-taking, Dagoc said he had to tell this "lie" to pacify Lerios’ husband, who was repeatedly asking him about it.

"I had to tell a lie to save my life," he said.

Chief Superintendent Nicolas Pacinos, Region 10 police director, said the police exhausted all means to ensure Dagoc’s safety.

Pacinos said the negotiations were "going nowhere" and that the police feared that the priest’s life would be endangered if the hostage-taking would drag on until night-time.

Besides, he said the hostage-taker was already getting too emotional. The police, he said, had to deny his request to talk to his wife since this might only ignite more tension.