He was supposed to visit his fiancee in Carcar City, Cebu next month to officially ask her parents for her hand in marriage, but his life had another purpose.
PO2 Ray Anthony Nazareno, 30, was the lone policeman among four government troops who were killed in a clash with Abu Sayyaf Group in Barangay Napo, Inabanga town, Bohol on Tuesday.
In an interview, his fiancee Emma Oaper told Cebu Daily News that she still can’t believe that he is really gone.
“He was suppose to go to our house next month so that we can both inform my parents of our plans to get married,” she said teary eyed.
In her message to Nazareno who she calls “Doh” she told him of her pain and asked him to help her recover.
“Doh sa nahitabo karon grabe gyud kasakit dili gyud naku madawat sa tinud-anay lang, pero mao naman ni wala nakuy laing mabuhat kundi dawaton lang ang tanan dili mn diha-diha dayon pero tabangi pud ko nga maka recover ko ani sobra ra gyud kasakit. Kaslonon man unta ta pero nganu man? Mao ni akong pangutana. Nganung nabuhat ni nimo naku Doh? nga malipayon man unta ta. Salamat sa tanan tanan. Sa tanang butang na napakita nimu dire sa akoa, salamat sa gugma nga walay katapusan, wala koy ikasulti nimo Doh kundi sobra raka kabuotan dire sa akoa ug salamat sa sakripisyo para lang maluwas og magmalinawon ang atong nasud. Maayu unta magmalipayon ka sa imong bag-ong journey karon. I miss you Doh and I love you so much,” she wrote.
(Doh I’m deeply hurt with what happened. I can’t accept this honestly but I have no choice but to accept this although I know it will take time before I can recover from this pain. Please help me. We’re suppose to get married but why? Why did you do this to me? Thank you for everything, for all the goodness you showed me, for the unending love. I have nothing bad to say about you. You were very good to me. Thank you for your sacrifice to save and ensure peace in our country. I hope that you will be happy in your next journey. I miss you Doh and I love you so much.)
Nazareno and Oaper planned to get married next year, instead they are holding his wake at his parents home in Purok 4, Barangay Ulbujan, Calape town, Bohol.
His body arrived at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon escorted by some of his colleagues.
Dominador Nazareno, his father, said he was in Cebu with his wife for a health checkup when the receive word about his son’s death.
“We were in Cebu but decided to go home immediately after hearing the news. We can’t believe it. We refused to believe it at first,” he said.
PO2 Nazareno 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).
He was born in Cebu but raised in Ulbujan where he finished his elementary studies in 1997 and went on to study at the Calape National High School. He 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 then joined the Philippine National Police as a Police Officer 1 on June 14, 2011.
Nazareno received various recognitions and awards during his stint as a policeman including two Medalya ng Kasanayan, Medalya ng Kagalingan, Medalya ng Paglilingkod, and Medalya ng Papuri.