Pavia BMW hit-and-run suspect arrested after two years

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Police arrested the alleged sports car driver in a deadly hit-and-run case in Pavia, Iloilo, more than two years after the incident.

The 62-year-old suspect, identified by the alias Bobot, is a resident of Barangay Poblacion Ilawod in Calinog, Iloilo.

Members of the Bingawan Municipal Police Station arrested him at noon July 19 in Poblacion, Bingawan.

Police served an arrest warrant for attempted murder under Criminal Case No. 24-93168.

Regional Trial Court Branch 37 Judge Victorino Maniba Jr. of Iloilo City issued the warrant on Nov. 18, 2024.

The court set bail at PHP 120,000 in the attempted murder case.

Police Lt. Philip Girao, the Bingawan police chief, said the station’s intelligence officer received information that Bobot had been seen in the area.

Police said the suspect maintains farmland and a rest house in Bingawan.

Girao said officers coordinated with Iloilo City Police Station 5 after learning that the suspect also had an outstanding warrant for murder.

Police Capt. Joebert Amado, the station commander, said the murder warrant under Criminal Case No. 24-93167 had been forwarded to his office because Bobot previously lived in Pavia.

Officers transferred the suspect from Bingawan to Iloilo City Police Station 5.

“We processed the return of the warrant of arrest to the court on July 20,” Amado said.

Before officers could transfer him to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, the suspect complained that he was feeling unwell.

He was placed under hospital arrest that day.

Bobot is the alleged owner of the BMW Z3 sports car involved in the June 1, 2024, incident in Pavia.

The incident killed Rave, a 33-year-old call center agent, and injured his 23-year-old partner, identified by the alias She.

The case was initially believed to involve reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and serious physical injury.

The surviving victim and another witness, however, alleged that the driver intentionally struck the couple.

The couple were residents of Barangay Oñate-de Leon in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, and were traveling to their rented home at Deca Homes in Barangay Balabag, Pavia.

They were riding a bicycle through Barangay Pandac at about 9 p.m. when the sports car initially struck She’s leg.

Rave was steering the bicycle, while She was riding behind him.

An altercation followed after Rave confronted the car’s driver and told him to be careful and slow down.

The driver allegedly made a U-turn and intentionally struck the couple.

He then allegedly reversed the car and struck them again.

Reports said She avoided fatal injuries after Rave pushed her to safety.

Both victims sustained leg fractures, while Rave died from head injuries.

After the incident, Pavia police submitted an investigation report to the Land Transportation Office in Western Visayas recommending the revocation of the suspect’s driver’s license and requesting ownership records for the BMW Z3.