Town vice mayor, siblings acquitted in murder of former mayor’s husband

By Jennifer P. Rendon

After nine years and posting P12 million in bailbond, majority of the accused in the killing of the husband of a former town mayor and his bodyguard were acquitted.

In a 36-page decision penned by Judge Rodelio Amador on July 5, 2022, former Lemery Mayor and now incumbent Vice Mayor Lowel Arban, Limwel Arban, Mildred Arban-Chavez, Vicente Listano, Roberto Marcelino, Edgar Magno, Romy Conde, Rene Abico, Ryan Ares, Nonato Domingo, Roger delos Reyes, Edgar Buenafe, Jeffrey Bancaya, and Christian Baroro were found not guilty of the murder charges.

However, their co-accused, Mario Caborubias, Francisco Balume, Jr., and Vergel Ferrer, were found guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the killing of John Apura and his bodyguard Espaldon Lupe.

They were meted with reclusion perpetua and accessory penalty of P75,000 for each victim as civil indemnity, P75,000 for moral damages, and P75,000 as exemplary damages.

Apura, husband of then re-electionist mayor Ligaya Apura, and Lupe were killed when six armed men ambush them on May 6, 2013.

The victims, together with a driver, were on a campaign sortie at Barangay Anabo when the incident happened.

Seconds from alighting from the vehicle, burst of gunfire from M16 and M14 rifles and machine pistol were heard all over the place.

Shortly later, Apura slumped to the pavement with multiple gunshot injuries.

The three were rushed to Sara District Hospital but Apura and Lupe were declared dead on arrival. The driver was later referred for hospital confinement in Iloilo City.

More than an hour after the incident, members of Lemery Police Station and the Iloilo Provincial Public Safety Battalion arrested Mario Cobarubias of Dumarao, Capiz.

Witnesses pointed to Cobarubias as one of the six suspects who killed Apura and Espaldon.

Wanted for murder charge, Cobarubias yielded an M14 rifle and two magazines and two hand grenades.

In January 2015, Lowel Arban and 12 others surrendered to the court citing that they want to prove their innocence.

They were imprisoned for more four months until their application to post bail was approved.

Lowel claimed that it was also not easy for them to pool more than P12 million for their bail.

With their non-guilty verdict, the court has ordered cancellation and release of their bail bond.

For Lowel, what happened was justice for their part.

He maintained that he had nothing to do with the murder citing that he will gain nothing from killing John Apura.

At that time, he was running against Ligaya.

Police have not concluded politics as the motive behind the incident claiming that it could also be due to land dispute.

During the 2013 polls, Lemery was tagged as one of 13 election watchlist of areas (EWAs) in Iloilo.

On Feb.17, 2010, three months before the 2010 presidential polls, the farm tractor owned by the Apura couple was reduced into “skeletal remains” and ashes after it was torched by NPA rebels at Brgy. Pacuan, Lemery.

Seven armed men arrived at the farmland of the Apuras and ordered tractor driver Cecilio Parreño to stop the farm vehicle and get his load of rice.

They threw three grenades and an improvised explosive device at the tractor but it failed to burn the farm vehicle.

This prompted the suspects to douse the equipment with gasoline and set it on fire.

Police claimed that the couple’s failure to pay the NPA’s demand of P50,000 every cropping triggered the incident.