Metrobriefs

‘Pusher’ slain in front of wife at QC home

An alleged drug pusher was shot dead inside his residence on Wednesday afternoon in Quezon City. Reynaldo Suarez, 30, was with wife Marlene and their infant son when two assailants barged in and shot him three times in the body, police said. The victim died on the spot following the attack around 1 p.m. inside his house on Legislative corner Senatorial roads in Barangay Batasan Hills. PO2 Anthony Tejerero, the case investigator, said the victim’s family admitted that Suarez had sold drugs in the past and was a drug user himself. Suarez also had an unpaid debt, according to his mother, although it was unclear if it was connected to his drug deals. Marlene said she and her husband were indoors when two men on a motorcycle stopped in front of their house. Without warning, the assailants forced their way in and fired at Suarez. She then grabbed their year-old son and hid inside a room as the gunmen fled. A neighbor saw the two men head toward Talanay Street on their motorbike. Police recovered three 9-mm bullet casings from the crime scene. Julie M. Aurelio

‘Duped’ QC maid charged with P1.3-M theft

Less than a month after she was hired, a domestic helper ended up behind bars on Wednesday night in Quezon City for allegedly giving her employer’s valuables to swindlers. Catalina Ordono, 51, was charged with qualified theft based on the complaint of her employer, Martha Manzana, 75, who said she had lost around P1.3 million in cash and jewelry, including a diamond-studded Rolex watch worth P800,000.  Ordono was subjected to inquest proceedings, where prosecutor Ronald Torrijos approved the filing of charges. “All the circumstantial evidence point to her as a possible culprit” and “her claim that she is likewise a victim is a matter of defense best appreciated in court,” Torrijos said in a resolution, which also recommended no bail for Ordano. PO2 Rhic Ronald Pittong, the case investigator, said Manzana left her house in Barangay Laging Handa on Wednesday morning to attend a church meeting, leaving the master bedroom securely locked. Ordono claimed that she received a call at 4:30 p.m. from a woman who said her boss figured in a road accident and needed money. As instructed by the caller, the maid forced the master bedroom open and took the valuables from the cabinet. Ordono said she later met with the female caller at SM Manila to give her the items. Realizing later that she was victimized by a con artist, Ordono reported the encounter to the mall’s security office, which then turned her over to the Manila police station at Quirino Grandstand. Ordono was hired by Manzana on Feb. 11, police said. Julie M. Aurelio