Slain hero cop laid to rest

The remains of the Manila policeman who was killed while responding to an ambush in Ermita, Manila, last week were finally buried at noon yesterday at the Manila South cemetery with full honors.

A six-man gun salute was accorded Senior Police Officer 3 Jess Valera as Chief Inspector Dominador Arevalo Jr. handed a folded Philippine flag to Valera’s widow Myrna who was teary-eyed during the entire proceedings.

Valera’s flag-draped casket was brought out of the Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters at around 10:15 a.m. following an overnight vigil. Officers of the MPD’s theft and robbery section led by Arevalo served as pallbearers.

MPD acting director Senior Superintendent Danilo Abarzosa and Valera’s friends individually delivered touching eulogies praising Valera for his 26-year service.

Valera’s widow thanked Manila Mayor Lito Atienza for providing a free burial lot and niche for her husband. Valera’s family earlier had difficulty finding a resting place for the slain police officer because they were told that Manila’s cemeteries were full.

"I would like to give many thanks to Mayor Atienza. If not for him, I wouldn’t know where to find a place to bury my husband," she told reporters.

Myrna said she and her four children plan to personally visit and thank Atienza next week at the Manila City Hall.

Last week, Atienza blew his top after learning that the slain officer’s family was having difficulty looking for a place of interment in spite of the planned hero’s funeral for Valera.

He ordered the head of city government’s health department, Jose Baranda, to provide the necessary assistance to Varela’s family, including shouldering the funeral cost.

He also ordered an inquiry into the reported refusal of some city hall personnel to accommodate Valera at the Manila North Cemetery.

Varela’s family instead chose the Manila South Cemetery because it was closer to their home.

Valera engaged six armed men in a shootout after responding to an ambush along Taft Avenue Wednesday last week.

The target of the ambush, money exchange dealer Leoncio Bernardo, survived unharmed due to Varela’s prompt response to the scene.

Valera exchanged fire with one of the gunmen, but four more gunmen riding in tandem on two motorcycles joined the firefight. He was rushed to the Philippine General Hospital but died along the way from a gunshot wound in the right side of the body.

Abarzosa has formed a task force of investigators, dubbed "Task Force Valera," to go after the killers. Atienza had earlier offered a P100,000 reward for information leading to the gunmen.