Gunman in Laguna mayor’s slay identified

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday said they have identified the gunman in murder of Sta. Rosa City Mayor Leon Arcillas and that they are now executing steps to apprehend him in the coming weeks.

Edmund Arugay, NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) regional director, told Bureau Director Reynaldo Wycoco that the triggerman in the Arcillas killing last May 10 was a hired killer. "In fact, there is a pending warrant of arrest against this gunman from another criminal case and we would use this existing warrant to apprehend him." Wycoco said he had tasked their NCR division to take part in the "Task Force Arcillas", which is currently being headed by the Philippine National Police, because the suspect is said to be operating in Southern Luzon and in Metro Manila. Laguna Police chief Senior Superintendent Federico Terte heads the task force.

The Director informed Arugay that he is willing to assign additional personnel from under his command to speed up the arrest of the gunman.

On May 10, Arcillas has just finished officiating a mass wedding inside their municipality when an unidentified gunman fired shots at him. He sustained wounds on the head, nape and torso and was pronounced dead at 12:15 p.m. while he was receiving medical treatment at the Perpetual Help Hospital in Biñan, Laguna. His bodyguard Police Officer 2 Ariel Rivera, of the Special Action Force (SAF), also died of gunshot wounds while another security of the Mayor PO2 Nonoy Almendras was critically wounded.

It was reported that three men launched the attack against the Sta. Rosa Mayor, but NBI-NCR Executive Officer Rosauro Ros said since the existing warrant is only against the gunman, they would only be able to apprehend one of the three suspects.