P.3-M reward set for info on ambush-slay: Bodyguard in murder of Lingayen pol, wife hunted

By Jennelyn Mondejar

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Local officials are joining hands in putting up P300,000 in reward money for the arrest of those behind the ambush-slay of a former vice mayor here and his wife in Manila last week.

This, even as police are now hunting down a politician’s bodyguard from another town of this province who was reportedly seen shooting former Lingayen vice mayor Ramon Arcinue and his wife, Zorahayda March 8 in Manila.

Mayor Ernesto Castañeda Jr. said he he was seeking the approval of the municipal council for the cash reward for anyone who could give vital information that would lead to the arrest of the killers of the Arcinue couple. Zorahayda was head of Barangay Poblacion here before they were murdered.

Pangasinan second district Rep. LeopoldoBataoil has filed a House resolution condemning the killing and urging the police and the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a joint and thorough investigation into it.

“These two unfortunate incidents involving the Arcinue couple, including other cases of shooting incidents that remain unsolved not only in Pangasinan but also nationwide, be the subject of a congressional inquiry in order to propose measures that will safeguard peace-loving citizens against ruthless criminal elements,” Bataoil’s resolution stated.

Bataoil said the Arcinue couple’s killing “should not be forgotten and added to unsolved cases in crime statistics, but instead, it should serve as a strong reminder for the government, that if unsolved, it will contribute to the culture of impunity in our society.”

A retired police general, Bataoil said he is closely monitoring the investigation of the police and the NBI.

Bataoil said he is awaiting pledges from friends to put up the cash reward to help solve the case.

The Arcinue children said they were also willing to offer a reward to help them get justice for their parents, who were laid to rest here last Tuesday.

This, as lawyer Joel Arcinue, son of the couple, appealed to President Aquino to help them get justice for his parents saying, “We lost two parents. It would not be acceptable if nothing again happens in this case.”

He added he and his siblings do not want their parents’ killing to be included among unsolved cases in the country.

The couple left five children. On March 4, 2011, Ramon and Zorahayda were ambushed while traveling along the national highway in Barangay Biec, Binmaley.

He refused to say whether the first attempt on his parents’ lives is related to the second shooting that killed them.

In Manila, Manila Police District homicide section chief Insp. Joey Ocampo said a team from his section is zeroing in on the alleged gunman, believed to be a bodyguard of a Pangasinan politician from another town.

Ocampo, who refused to name the suspect, said the gunman is in his early 30’s, slim and is at least 5’5’ tall.

He said there were witnesses who saw him shoot Ramon and Zorahayda in front of their rented apartment on Maceda Street in Sampaloc, Manila at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

“We just came from Pangasinan but missed the suspect. He was identified as among the bodyguards of another politician from another town there. It appears that the politician did not know that one of his men is involved in the killing. Apparently, the politician does not know that his bodyguard has other ‘works,” he said.

Investigators said that they were looking at certain personalities in the province who may have a motive to silence the Arcinues.

According to police reports, Ramon was first heard arguing, with the gunman outside their house before he was shot.

Upon hearing the commotion, Zorahayda went out and was also attacked. Both were shot in the head.

Zorahayda was the incumbent chairperson of Barangay Poblacion in Lingayen.

Their son, JC, is supposed to graduate this March.

The attacker spared their two sons, who along, with other family members, rushed the couple to the University of Santo Tomas Hospital.

They were declared dead about an hour later.

Witnesses said the gunman fled on foot and boarded a bus along Espanada Boulevard.