RENERIO Arrogante IV prefers his nickname, Ren. His father's name was Renerio Arrogante III but he was also better known by his own nickname, Gogong.
Ren grew up in Miranda with his parents Gogong and Juliet and his three elder sisters Lydia, Michelle and Julie, attending De La Salle College at Caringbah and Cronulla.
In 2002 he moved with his parents to Gogong's hometown of Daanbantayan on the island of Cebu, the Philippines, where in March he watched helplessly as a stranger gunned down his father.
On Saturday, May 24, Ren and Juliet will attend a memorial service for the father and husband they say was killed simply for trying to help his people.
``When I went back (to Cebu) I had just finished high school,'' Ren said.
``I enrolled to study architecture at the University of San Carlos and got my degree, then worked for my father in the family business.
``He took my mother and me to Cebu because he wanted to help the people of Daanbantayan and he got involved in politics there and stood for the local elections.''
Gogong was not elected but served as opposition party spokesman during the elections.
On Sunday morning, March 9, Gogong, Juliet and Ren sat outside Gogong's business.
``This guy just walked straight past us and turned and started shooting at my dad,'' Ren said. Gogong was shot five times and died on the way to hospital.
It was a tragic end to the life of a man who just wanted to do some good for his people.
Gogong grew up in Daanbantayan with 12 siblings and moved to Manila with his family, helping in their trucking business.
He then studied mechanical engineering after finishing school and eventually migrated to Australia in 1979 to find a life free from the endemic corruption of the Marcos era.
Gogong and Juliet raised their four children in Miranda and ran a small business repairing, renovating and selling forklift trucks and doing general vehicle repairs.
A holiday to Daanbantayan convinced Gogong the political scene there needed changing, and in 2002 he embarked on the move that would ultimately lead to his death.
Now the Arrogante family is trying to get support for direct intervention in the ongoing murder investigation from the Australian Government. A Justice for Gogong movement has also sprung up in Daanbantayan.
The memorial service, which will be held at Blacktown on Saturday, is expected to draw up to 500 people. The Justice For Gogong Legal Aid Fund is on 0414979241.