Tuesday, January 08, 2008 Family gets medal, cash, seeks justice; PNP also honors wounded policeman
A MEDALYA ng Kadakilaan and an envelope containing cash were handed to Charlene Sucion yesterday morning at her husband’s wake.
The widow of SPO1 Pedro Sucion and their 17-year-old daughter Fritz Charisse cried while Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos enumerated the list of benefits her family would get.
“I only ask that you arrest whoever did this to my husband,” Charlene told Roderos in Cebuano.
Roderos assured her they will not stop until justice is served.
Sucion was killed early Sunday morning while trying to stop three robbers from fleeing in a tricycle in a shadowy part of Mandaue City’s reclamation area. His partner PO2 Darius Conejos was shot in the chest twice.
Wanted to retire
Charlene later told reporters that she could not accept that her husband died so suddenly and in such a violent manner.
Her husband had planned to apply for optional retirement and had hoped to be promoted to SPO2 before he retired.
He was also planning to buy a piglet for Charisse’s 18th birthday.
Roderos assured Sucion’s widow that Charisse will be able to finish college because the PNP will pay for her tuition.
Charisse is a second year nursing student at the University of the Visayas.
Aside from that, Charlene will receive six months’ worth of her husband’s salary from the PNP special financial assistance, P100,000 from the President, all his leave credits converted to cash and his public safety mutual benefit insurance.
Senior Insp. Siegfried Toribio, Sucion’s superior, admitted that he asked Sucion to report for work even if the latter had a fever because they lacked personnel.
Asked if he did not regret asking Sucion to work, he said police officers must be prepared to die in the course of their duty.
“As policemen we should be careful whenever we go out in the streets,” Toribio told reporters in Cebuano.
Dedicated
He said Sucion was one of the most dedicated officers he had.
“He would never refuse an order. He was always ready to serve,” Toribio said in Cebuano.
Charlene agreed with this. She said her husband would sometimes report to work even if he was off duty if he heard something was going on at the station.
Sucion’s partner, Conejos, was the first to get hit. He said he tried to pull out his gun but opted to call for backup instead.
The next thing he knew, Sucion was down on the ground.
Witnesses said that after Sucion was hit, the gunman went near him and shot him once more in the nape. Then the gunman allegedly kicked him before leaving.
“Abi na gyud nako nga mao na to (I thought I was going to die right then),” Conejos told reporters from his hospital bed.
Roderos was also at the hospital to pin a Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting on Conejos and give him an envelope containing cash.
Conejos asked Roderos if the latter could do something about his salary, as he has not received it since his suspension over family matters.
Though he was reinstated on Aug. 1, his salary has not yet been released due to documentary snags. Roderos instructed him to bring all his documents to the PRO 7 so his salary will be processed.
Roderos also told Conejos’ wife Alma that he has already instructed the regional finance officer to immediately reimburse Conejos’ hospital expenses.
Alma said she was thankful that Roderos came to visit them, saying it showed them support and encouragement.
Asked if she was not worried about the risks of her husband’s job, she said it was always her husband’s dream to be a policeman.
