Woman wants to marry slain partner

MANILA, Philippines - A woman wants to marry her partner of five years, who was shot dead in Sta. Ana, Manila last June 4.

The mother of Marivic Clemente, 24, told The STAR her daughter is waiting for the approval of the Sta. Ana parish priest so she can have the church wedding of her dreams.

Clemente’s partner, Maverick Querrer, 29, a janitor at the Our Lady of Grace Parish Church in Caloocan City, was shot by suspected members of the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik jailhouse gang last June 1 and died three days later at the Sta. Ana Hospital. He and Clemente have two children.

According to Senior Police Officer 3 Glenzor Vallejo, Manila Police District (MPD) homicide investigator, Querrer was passing time in front of a store in the wee hours of June 1 when Richard Cariño, 24, and Ryan Racuya, 25, reportedly shot him.

Clemente rushed Querrer to the hospital while the two suspects fled, escaping a police dragnet.

However, an informant told Clemente that a man resembling Cariño was arrested by the Mandaluyong police Friday afternoon.

Vallejo said it turned out that Cariño and Racuya were on a motorcycle and about to rob the passengers of a jeepney when a trailer van driver noticed them and rear-ended the motorcycle, causing them to crash.

He said residents mobbed the two suspects, but Racuya managed to escape.

At the Mandaluyong police station, Cariño gave his name as Reynaldo Cepedo but Querrer’s relatives identified him, Vallejo said. The suspect was turned over to the MPD to answer the murder charges filed against him.

Clemente thanked the police for the quick resolution of the case but vowed that the wedding that was supposed to take place in the second week of June will push through.