The father of slain victim Renato Ebarle Jr. is pleased with the arrest of the suspect Jason Ivler but pressed for the arrest of family members and other relatives who coddled the fugitive for the last two months.

Renato Ebarle Sr., undersecretary of the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff, said the arrest of Jason Ivler was an “answered prayer” and thanked authorities for bringing to justice the man behind his son’s death.

Ebarle said Ivler, who was critically wounded in a gunfight with NBI officers trying to arrest him, should be meted with the maximum penalty of the law for the murder of his son during a traffic altercation in November, 2009.

The Palace official said he has no plans to talk with Ivler and would let authorities handle the case against him, admitting he is still hurt over the death of his son two months ago.

Ebarle, however, offered no sympathy to Marlene Aguilar, mother of Ivler, who now faces investigation for obstruction of justice when she allegedly hid her son from pursuing authorities.

He said Ivler’s stepfather, British diplomat Stephen Pollard, and other relatives who knew about Ivler’s whereabouts should also be held accountable.

Aguilar and Pollard, an executive at the Asian Development Bank, had earlier denied knowledge about the whereabouts of their son amid the ongoing police hunt.

“It has been proven she was not sincere when she made statements Ivler left for Hawaii and even sent her email. She lied not only to us but also to authorities,” he said of Mrs. Aguilar.

A mother’s love for a child is not excuse to dupe authorities and avoid the rule of law, Ebarle said. “A good mother should have advised her son to surrender to authorities,”

Ebarle said he and his wife are still mourning the death of their son two months since the fatal altercation with Ivler.

“Masakit pa rin. He can’t be replaced, he can’t be with us anymore,” he said of his son. He said his son was a peace-loving man, unlike Ivler who opened fire at authorities – and wounded two -- when they tried to arrest him.