SUSPECT IN MURDER OF GEN. MARANTAN’S BROTHER ARRESTED IN BATANGAS

AFTER nearly 13 years in hiding, a prime suspect in the 2013 murder of a brother of then Lt. Col. Hansel M. Marantan was arrested by the authorities in his hiding place in Batangas.

Suspect Romualdo Atienza was nabbed based on non-bailable warrant of arrest for murder.

The arrest warrant was issued by Judge Eleuterio L. Bathan of the Lemery, Batangas Regional Trial Court Branch 15 on July 15, 2014.

Atienza is one of the three men ordered arrested by the Lemery court for the August 26, 2013 killing of Ariel Marantan, a brother of now Police Regional Office 4-A director Brig. Gen.  Hansel M. Marantan.

The suspects are all residents of barangays Sinisian and Talaga in Lemery town.

“After nearly 13 years in hiding, an assassin of my brother Ariel is now finally behind bars, the last one to be finally arrested. This is real justice for us,” Brig. Gen. Marantan said.

The suspects were accused of killing the then 47-year-old Ariel Marantan, brother of General Marantan.

Ariel was in his mango farm in Bgy. Talaga when gunned down by two motorcycle-riding gunmen around 10:30 a.m. of August 26, 2013.

Land dispute is being investigated as possible motive for the killing.