VICTORIAS City is grateful of the late Senior Police Officer 2 (SPO2) Antonio Broce Jr., who gave up his life on September 2 when he responded to a shooting incident even if he was off duty at that time.
Speaking in behalf of Victorias City Mayor Francis Frederick Palanca, Executive Assistant IV and Chief of Staff Dino Acuna said the city paid its final respect to Broce when he was brought to his final resting place at Victorias Memorial Park on September 15.
His family, classmates, friends, fellow police officers, government officials, and the community also paid their last respect.
“It was a sad moment for the family and those who were present during the burial. No amount of words can ever comfort the pain that the family went through with the loss of SPO2 Broce,” Acuna said.
He added: “I hope and pray that they could find comfort in knowing that there a lot of us and a grieving city that mourns the passing of a great and brave hero because he is well loved by the community. He lives at the relocation site of the city in Barangay 21. He is the only police officer who lives there and everybody loved him because he is always there for them.”
“When he responded to the call for help, he was on his day-off. But he did not hesitate to respond to the call. He went there right away and found out that he cannot open fire to the suspect because he had a woman hostage,” he added.
Broce’s last words were “may igo gid ta (I was hit).”
Acuna added he talked to the medical doctor who examined Broce and said there was no way he was going to survive because he was shot in the heart and he will only have seconds to live because the blood will be drained from his heart.
Personally, he realized that in the life of a policeman, there is no day off because if there is an emergency in their area, they are the persons who will be called first for immediate response.
Palanca, for his part, said the city will put up a small memorial for him like a portrait which will be hanged at the City Hall so one day, people will remember that in history, there was one Broce who gave his life so others may live.