MANILA, Philippines — Crying and pounding the lectern’s slanted top in anger, Gerardo “Junjie” Maquidato Jr.’s wife on Wednesday faced the alleged killer of the Grab driver-partner and objected to Narc Delemios’ claim that he was forced to kill the victim because the latter fought back.
“Alam ko, hindi nanlaban ang asawa ko. Pa’no mo nagawa ‘yon? Alam ko gusto n’yang bumalik sa pamilya n’ya. Alam ko iniisip n’ya pa’no makawala sa’yo para umuwi sa amin,” Brenda Maquidato told Delemios after the latter surrendered to authorities and was presented to the media at the Philippine National Police’s headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
[I knew my husband did not fight back. How were you able to do that? I knew he wanted to go back to his family. I knew what he was thinking, how he could get away from you and come back home to us.]
“Sana kinuha mo na lahat,” added Brenda, telling Delemios that instead of killing Junjie, he should have just instead gotten all his belongings and fled.
During the highly tense and emotional situation, PNP chief Gen. Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa wasn’t also able to hide his wrath. Irked by Delemios’ mien, Dela Rosa approached Junjie’s alleged killer, told him to listen to what the victim’s wife was telling him and then cursed him.
“Makinig ka sa asawa. Pa-smile-smile ka pa d’yan. Makinig ka. May asawa ka rin, putang-ina, makinig ka!” Dela Rosa told Delemios, before telling Brenda, “Huwag mong batuhin ha [Don’t throw stones at him (Delemios).”
After his surrender, Delemios, who has a standing warrant of arrest for murder issued on February 3, 2015 by the Parañaque City Regional Trial Court, said he didn’t know that his victim was a good person and was sorry for what he did but of course knew that his apology wouldn’t change anything.
“(H)indi ko po alam na s’ya ay good samaritan. Humihingi po ako ng pasensya, pero mahirap na po talagang maibalik,” he said, referring to Maquidato’s benevolence when he gave a courtesy ride to a sick passenger, which went viral on social media in August last year.
Delemios added that he was only planning to rob Junjie but the latter fought back thus he was forced to commit the crime. He allegedly was able to book a ride with Maquidato using his girlfriend’s phone last Oct. 26. He gunned down Maquidato in Pasay City, left his remains on the road, and fled, driving the victim’s silver Toyota Innova to Tarlac.
“Pera lang po ang gusto kong kuhanin sa kanya pero in-insist n’ya po, lumaban po s’ya kaya ko po nagawa ‘yong krimen.”