NAZARENO
THE lone policeman who was killed in the clash between government troopers and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Inabanga, Bohol was a bemedalled cop, a Boholano born in Cebu but raised in his native province.
PO2 Rey Anthony Nazareno, 30, was born on Oct. 24, 1986 in Barili town, 61.6 kilometers south of Cebu City, according to the records of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7),
His parents — Gaudencia and Dominador Sr. — are natives of Barangay Ulbujan, Calape town in Bohol.
Nazareno grew up in Ulbujan where he finished his elementary studies in 1997. He went on to study at the Calape National High School and graduated in 2001.
Nazareno later took up Bachelor of Science in Criminology at the University of Cebu in Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) in Mandaue City and graduated in 2010.
He joined the Philippine National Police as a Police Officer 1 on June 14, 2011.
During his stint as a policeman, Nazareno received various recognitions and awards, including two Medalya ng Kasanayan, Medalya ng Kagalingan, Medalya ng Paglilingkod, and Medalya ng Papuri.
Nazareno, a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) in Bohol, was among four government troopers who were killed in the gunfight with the ASG in Barangay Napo, Inabanga town, Bohol province last Tuesday.
The clash also claimed the lives of three soldiers — 2nd Lt. Estelito Saldua Jr., Cpl. Meljun Cajaban, Sgt. John Dexter Duero.
All four men have been hailed as heroes by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.