An army sergeant tagged as the alleged killer of businessman turned politician Renerio Arrogante III in Daanbantayan was arrested yesterday by the National Bureau of Investigation in Mandaue City after several weeks of surveillance operations.
Sgt. Moises Ludoc, 33, was arrested in barangay Basak, Mandaue City at past 11:00 a.m.
He was with his family when arrested. They just came from barangay Bateria in Daanbantayan.
Ludoc, who is currently assigned with the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army based in Negros Islands.
His wife, Fernelyn and their two children were with him when he was accosted by the NBI operatives who have been tailing him from Daanbantayan.
Ludoc was positively identified by three of the five witnesses, including the wife and son of the victim, during a police line up inside the NBI office.
Arrogante’s wife, Julieta, her son and a trisikad driver who witnessed the shooting incident last Mach 9 in barangay Poblacion, Daanbantayan pointed to Ludoc as the alleged gunman.
Julieta said she could not forget his face because she was talking to her husband when the shooting happened.
“I am not good at remembering names, but I am very good at remembering faces,” Julieta told The Freeman.
Julieta said the family is happy over the development, but they are still looking forward to the time that the mastermind would be unmasked.
Ludoc’s wife, Fernelyn, denied her husband’s involvement in the crime.
The teary-eyed wife said that her husband was in Isabela, Negros Occidental when Arrogante was killed.
According to her, Ludoc only got home last Monday night to attend the death anniversary of their grandfather in barangay Malbago, Daanbantayan.
Fernelyn said, her husband was in Negros since January 22 after completing his training at the Central Command. Since then, Fernelyn said her husband had never been to Daanbantayan.
But, NBI supervising agent Jose Hermie Monsanto, who led the task force created to investigate the Arrogante killing, said that based on their investigation Ludoc was in Daanbantayan when Arrogante was killed.
“After the incident he left Daanbantayan and went somewhere else, probably Negros,” Monsanto said.
Ludoc reportedly came home two to three days ago. Undercover agents were immediately deployed to monitor his movements.
According to Monsanto, Ludoc seems to have already felt that his movement was monitored prompting him to flee with his family.
Monsanto said the NBI undercover agents tailed Ludoc and his family when they boarded a Rough Riders bus bound for Cebu City yesterday morning.
Two teams were immediately formed to intercept the suspect. One team met the bus in Danao City and tailed it while the other team headed by senior agent Gregorio Algoso positioned in Mandaue City.
When the suspect disembarked in barangay Basak, the two teams immediately made the arrest.
Though he did not resist arrest the NBI operatives found an unlicensed cal. 38 revolver in Ludoc’s possession.
NBI executive officer Ernesto Macabare said they will be filing criminal charges today against Ludoc for murder and illegal possession of firearms.
Macabare explained that although the murder happened more than a month ago, they will still have Ludoc charged under inquest proceedings before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office today.
Macabare contended that as far as the NBI is concerned Ludoc’s arrest could still be considered as part of the hot pursuit operation, because he was previously identified by the witnesses.
In fact, during the line up he was positively identified.
Monsanto said that although the alleged gunman has already been arrested, the NBI will continue its investigation to look for the mastermind. — Fred P. Languido/NLQ