Balikbayan appeals for action vs 2 cops

For the past 15 years of working abroad, Adelina Duenas, a policeman’s widow, went home to her children only for the third time last Dec. 18 in Caloocan City to spend Christmas with them.

During her short stay with her family, she said, she would make it a point that it would be a happy and memorable one. But just two days after she arrived from London, Duenas’ simple wish turned into a nightmare when two rookie cops and there gang allegedly harassed her family.

"I’m appealing to concerned authorities to look at our problem. We are peace loving people. I’m afraid that something might happen to my children when I’m away," Duenas said.

Duenas said she is set to return to London on Jan. 18.

At about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 20, Duenas, 53, of 58 Nara street, Hillcrest Village, Camarin, Caloocan City, said she and her children were awakened by the sound of shattered window glasses from their windows followed by several gunshots at their premises.

It was followed by hard knocks on their door and later the electric meter of their house was also broken in an effort to cut off their electricity.

"My children could not think of a reason why some people would do such a thing to us for they don’t have any enemy in our place, except for PO1 Reynaldo Placido, a policeman whom my son had a petty argument last summer," Duenas said.

When they peeped outside, they allegedly saw five men and recognized one of them as a certain PO1 Dale Anaya, a policeman reportedly assigned at the Western Police District.

In the morning, five empty shells of a caliber .45 pistol were recovered near Duenas’ house whose door and windows were partially destroyed.

The STAR traced Placido’s unit assignment yesterday at Sub-station 5 in Bagong Silang but failed to talk to the policeman. – Pete Laude