Politician’s bodyguard fires gun inside bar

POLICE arrested a drunk bodyguard of a Tuburan town politician for firing his gun inside a bar in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City, and pointing it at several customers early yesterday morning.

PO2 Renato Baldo identified the suspect as Rey Isidro Arban, 40, of Barangay Malusgod, Duñeas, Iloilo City.

Police claimed that in their investigation, Arban was with defeated mayoralty candidate Daphne Lagon and some of her supporters who were partying at The Distillery Bar owned by Andrew Philip Weigel Sarmiento. The information was entered in the spot report of the police.

The shooting incident, which happened at 2 a.m., allegedly resulted damage to the bar in the amount of P50,000.

Sarmiento posted on his Facebook account that Arban escaped after the incident. “Anyway, the shooter initially escaped the scene and took a taxi. Unfortunately, for him, he fell asleep and the taxi driver couldn’t wake him up,” he said in his FB post.

“Long story short, the taxi driver brought him to the Mabolo Police Station so the police could help him wake up the drunk shooter. When they got there, two of my people were also in the station filing up a blotter, that’s when they saw the shooter in the taxi,” he added.

Recovered from Arban was a .45 caliber pistol, loaded with eight bullets. He could not show any license to justify he is carrying the firearm. “This is a very serious and unfortunate incident that fortunately didn’t end in anyone being a casualty,” Sarmiento said.

Arban is currently detained at the Mabolo Police Station. A complaint for indiscriminate firing, alarm and scandal, malicious mischief, light threats and illegal possession of firearm and ammunitions will be filed against him before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.

Meanwhile, Tuburan Mayor Aljun Diamante vehemently denied initial reports that the suspect was his bodyguard. He said he was shocked to learn that his name had been dragged in the incident, in an online post.

Interviewed by reporters, Diamante said he had just arrived in Cebu last Sunday from Cagayan de Oro and denied that Arban is his bodyguard.