MANILA, Philippines – Police have identified the suspect in the killing of Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Mervin Guarte in Oriental Mindoro.
Calapan City police chief Lt. Col. Roden Fulache told Rappler on Thursday, January 9, that a criminal complaint for murder will be filed against a 31-year-old tricycle driver suspected to have stabbed Guarte in his sleep.
Guarte was able to call for help and was rushed to the nearest medical facility but ultimately succumbed to his wound at the age of 32.
“We now consider our initial person of interest as the suspect based on the evidence that we gathered,” said Fulache in Filipino.
CCTV footage showed the suspect entering an alley near the house where Guarte stayed for the night, and then immediately fleeing after the act.
Fulache said the suspect, who is believed to hold a personal grudge against Guarte, is now on the run and has left the city.
“We’ve been trying to locate him since the incident but he is no longer in the area of Calapan,” said Fulache, adding operatives also searched for the suspect in the nearby town.
Guarte — who was assigned at the Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas, as an Airman First Class of the Philippine Air Force — won multiple SEA Games medals as part of the track and field and obstacle course racing national teams.
As a middle distance runner, he captured three silvers in the 800m run and two silvers and one bronze in the 1,500m run.
It was in obstacle course racing where Guarte truly shone as he bagged gold in the men’s individual 5km event in 2019 and another gold in the men’s team relay in 2023. – Rappler.com
