Another dead cop, another unsolved killing

IT is not often Mark Anthony Peniano takes his oldest daughter to school. But when he decided to do so on Tuesday, August 15, he was killed. 

Mica, 15, rode at the back of the motorcycle holding on to her Daddy. They were along Ayala Boulevard in Ermita, Manila heading towards Emilio Aguinaldo College when bursts of gunfire pierced the usual morning traffic noise. 

Father and daughter fell to the ground after the first volley of gunshots. It was not clear to Mica what just happened—where the bullets came from or  where they were aimed at. Only when she stood up and saw her father’s bloodied body sprawled on the pavement did she realize who was the target of the attack.  

Mark Anthony, or Macky to most, was a policeman. A PO2 at the Manila Police District, the 35-year-old Macky was a living dream. All his life, all he wanted was to join the police force. 

Since he graduated in high school, Macky hoped to become a policeman.

It was Macky’s childhood best friend Rico (not his real name) who urged him to pursue his dream. Growing up together, Macky and Rico had similar interests, and oddly enough, almost similar decisions in early life.

When Macky moved in to live together with his then-girlfriend after high school, so did Rico with his partner. When Macky had his first child, Rico too became a father about the same time. And when Rico decided to take up criminology in college, Macky followed. The two were inseparable. 

In college, they attended the same classes and went home at  the same time. Their plan was to graduate together and wear the uniform together. But Rico was not as lucky as Macky. Halfway through college, Rico had to drop out because of financial reasons. Only Macky graduated to fulfill the dream. 

In his seven years as a man in uniform, Macky made no enemies – that is, until a few months ago. In a Facebook post dated March 28, Macky ranted for being accused of a crime he said he did not commit. 

“Sana masaya na kayo sa ginawa nyo saken binibintang nyo saken ang kasalanan na hindi ko naman ginawa at lalong lalo na wala naman akong kinalaman ilang araw ko ng pinagdudusahan ang nangyayari saken eto lng ang masasabi ko sa mga taong my gawa nito saken hindi natutulog ang Diyos alam nya kung ano ang totoo kayo hindi naman kayo Diyos para malaman nyo kung ano ang totoo kung makapagbintang kayo wagas kaya kung ano man ang mangyayari saken kunsensya nyo nalang kung meron man kayo,” he wrote. 

After a series of comments from concerned family and friends, Macky explained that he could not detail the issue because it was “confidential.” He only asked for sincere prayers. 

“…ako po [ay] hihingi ng inyong mga dasal para po sa aking kaligtasan at para na din po lumabas na din po ang totoo na wala po talaga akong kinalaman maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat.” 

It was around the same time that Rico recalls Macky confided to him about a “big problem.” 

Macky told Rico that he was accused of being among those responsible for the killing of a female cop early this year. He swore to Rico that he had nothing to do with the crime. Even when Rico pressed him to tell the truth, Macky stood his ground, 

“Hinding hindi ko magagawa ‘yon,” Rico remembered Macky saying. Macky even joked that he would not earn money from it so why would he bother doing it. 

But even in his light demeanor, Rico knew that his best friend was seriously worried. Macky talked about leaving the service and instead become a seafarer, like his father. Macky was bothered by the recent spate of killings—he was scared that he too would soon become a target.

“Iba na ngayon,” Macky told Rico. “Nakakatakot ngayon. Madaming namamatay.”

 For Rico, Macky could never do such crime. “Kilala ko siya simula pagka-bata. Hindi niya magagawa ‘yon,” Rico said. 

 Aaron, another friend of the victim,  also vouched for Macky’s kindness. “100% imposible niyang magawa ‘yon. Napakabait noon.”

In the headquarters of the Manila Police District, Macky’s last assignment was under the District Headquarters Support Unit. Their group was responsible for guarding the police station —checking entering civilians and vehicles coming in and out of the station, opening the gate for crew cabs and police cars. The job was simple. He was deployed May this year. 

Prior to this, he was assigned to the District Police Supply Department. In this unit, they were tasked to specific posts around the city. These included deployments in rallies or securing visitng dignitaries. Again, the job was simple. He was assigned to it for over a year. 

Before moving to the MPD headquarters, Rico said Macky was attached to the Police Station 3 in Sta Ana, Manila. However, no one from the station could remember Macky, nor the case he was alleged to be involved in. “He was here a long time ago,” a policemen PS 3 said.. 

As of this writing, there are no suspects to Macky’s death. There is no motive as to why he was killed. 

There are only these facts of the case: that Macky was shot at least ten times on a moving motorcycle along Ayala Boulevard on August 15, 2017. That Macky was only going to take his daughter to school at about 8 a.m. when an unknown gunman killed him on the spot. That a student, walking on the sidewalk, was shot and bruised by a ricochet.

And that today, instead of school, Mica and her two sisters went to see their Daddy in the morgue. –Rappler.com