Who is Police Senior Master Sergeant Macua?

Scenes at the wake of Police Senior Master Sergeant Maximino Macua at St. Peter Chapels along Imus St., Barangay Lorega San Miguel, Cebu City. Macua, of the Drug Enforcement Group of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas, was killed in a surveillance operation gone wrong in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City on February 11. | Morexette Erram

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The name of Police Senior Master Sergeant Maximino Macua Jr. has been on the news lately, after his untimely death due to a shooting encounter in Barangay Mambaling last February 11.

But who is Macua, whom his friends and family referred to as ‘Macky’?

The 35-year-old policeman assigned at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) was both iron and silk — a dedicated law enforcer, and a caring husband and father.

Iron

Teary-eyed as they paid their respect to their friend and coworker, Police Master Sergeants Ava Phyllis Llamada and Ronnel Ramirez would always remember Macky as the natural-born leader who knew how to mingle with friends while keeping focused at work.

Llamada, Ramirez, and Macky were classmates in PNP’s Bagsik Class of 2005.

Even if they were assigned in various police offices in Central Visayas after they completed their police training course, the three remained as close friends.

Both Llamada and Ramirez are assigned in Negros Oriental while Macky was shuffling between Cebu and Bohol provinces.

“Macky is a passionate policeman. He is really focused when it comes to work. He always believed in striving for excellence which explains why everybody around him sees him as a genuine professional,” said Ramirez.

Llamada also said Macky was a disciplinarian, and was clearly imbued in the late policeman’s desire to become a prosecutor in Bohol province one day.

“You could see the leadership in him, and passion for work. This is why we often find him as the disciplinarian type who is patient, and never offensive,” said Llamada.

Llamada and Ramirez were present when Macky’s remains were transferred from a funeral chapel along Imus Avenue to Camp Sergio Osmeña, the headquarters of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO – 7), on Friday, February 14 to pay their last respect.

PRO – 7 cancelled their Valentine’s Day celebrations, and flew their flag at half-mast as they grieve for the loss of one of their own.

READ MORE: PRO-7 cancels Valentine’s Day celebration as they mourn death of fellow police

Silk

But while he was regarded as the tough policeman at work, Macky was a loving husband and father who would never skip a weekend to visit his family in Bohol.

“We’re really spoiled by him. That’s how much he loved us, and that’s also one of the best things that I’ll miss about him,” said Eva Kristel Macua, Macky’s wife.

Eva and Macky met in Bohol 11 years ago. In 2017, the two tied the knot and their love bore three children — all of whom are boys.

According to Eva, the eldest is six years old. Their youngest are twin boys who recently celebrated their 2nd birthday last January.

The Macua family lives in Loon town, Bohol.

“But he would always come home every weekend just to check on us. He is open about being a hands-on father, and he keeps reminding me and the rest of the family that he wants an active role in parenting,” said Eva, who is an acting manager of a business processing outsourcing (BPO) firm based in Bohol.

She also said that that they were planning to spend Valentine’s Day together after the couple had a slight confrontation a few days before Macky’s death.

Surveillance gone wrong

It was almost an unwritten rule for the Macua couple that the husband, being a policeman, would inform the wife of his whereabouts and what his assignments were.

“I can still remember the time when he stressed to me about his job before we got married,” Eva said.

Suspected drug pushers in Sitio San Roque in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City were the subjects of a surveillance operation conducted by PDEG on February 11, 2020.

However, things took a turn for the worse when a certain Franco Obeso, sensing the presence of policemen in their territory, reportedly tried to shoot it out with the police.

The bullet coming from his gun apparently hit Macua that resulted in his death.

Obeso and one of his alleged accomplices — Jeramea Zafra — are now under hospital arrest after they, too, suffered gun injuries.

At that time, meanwhile in Bohol, located 22.12 nautical miles southeast of Cebu City, Eva did not know about the operation as her husband had not informed her of this ill-fated operation.

“He would always tell me about his latest assignments, where he would be deployed next. But that assignment, no, I didn’t know anything about it until now,” Eva said.

Somewhere tucked in her gut feelings, Eva said she knew something was wrong, especially when an unsaved number kept calling her mobile phone on the evening of February 11.

“I don’t usually answer calls from an unknown number. But I sensed something wrong because the caller keeps ringing my phone as if he really wants to reach me,” said Eva.

“Then a text followed, saying it was his supervisor in Cebu. From there, a heavy feeling suddenly came over me. And I looked up to the ceiling and said, ‘please no’,” she added.

Tugging her three children along with her, Eva sailed to Cebu right after she received the call from Macky’s supervisor.

Macky will be buried in Bohol tentatively this February 20, 2020. And after that, Eva added that she and the children will be looking for a new place to live.

“First things first, we have to move out. The house is filled with too many memories, and I don’t want the children to grow up with these flashbacks, which I know will just hinder our efforts to move on,” Eva said.

She also said she will be seeking professional help to debrief their eldest son.

“Our eldest is the one closest to him. Since we arrived here in Cebu, he hasn’t cried, and I’m worried that this could be him denying that his father is no longer there,” Eva said.

When she was interviewed by reporters, Eva tried to hold back tears.

She said this was her way to show to her children that amid the trials their family was experiencing, she would remain strong.

“You think I looked strong on the outside, trying to fight these tears. But I did this for my children because I need them to know that I’ll remain strong for them,” Eva said. /dbs