A BARANGAY councilor was arrested by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Central Visayas (CIDG) 7 after he was pointed as behind the murder of a meat vendor in Babag, Cebu City.

Reynante Bacarisas, 47, who is a councilor of Barangay Babag, was accused of gunning down Jorge Ibona, a meat seller, outside his house on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.

Ibona’s wife, Jenny Fe, positively identified Bacarisas as the suspect who shot her husband.

Col. Ireneo Dalogdog, CIDG 7 director, told reporters that Ibona’s wife sought their help after she positively identified Bacarisas.

Dalogdog said they conducted a deeper investigation based on Jenny Fe’s allegations.

He also coordinated with Cebu City police personnel to help them in arresting Bacarisas after they received word that the councilor is known to be armed and a troublemaker in the barangay.

They arrested Bacarisas on Friday dawn, Oct. 1, while he was still asleep.

Jenny Fe told reporters that she positively identified Bacarisas after seeing his face on the day her husband was shot.

She believed that Bacarisas’s grudge against her husband began when she left her work as a barangay health worker due to an argument between them over some unfinished work at the barangay hall.

In 2018, Bacarisas allegedly shot Jenny Fe’s husband but he survived.

They also sued Bacarisas for frustrated murder after Igona positively identified the barangay councilor as the one who shot him.

Earlier this year, Bacarisas and his wife visited Igona’s house in an attempt to settle their differences.

Bacarisas allegedly even offered to pay P50,000 to Igona to settle the case.

But instead of apologizing, Bacarisas reportedly berated Igona and even told the couple that he had no regrets shooting the victim.

This prompted Igona and his wife to no longer settle the case they filed against Bacarisas, further worsening their rift.

Just a few days before Igona was shot, he received death threats through text.

In a separate interview, Bacarisas denied Jenny Fe’s allegations, adding that he was in a different place at the time that her husband was killed.

The CIDG 7 is set to charge Bacarisas with murder.(AYB / JKV)