Health of NV’s quadruplets failing, as they cry for justice for pa’s murder

BAGABAG, Nueva Vizcaya — The mother of the only known living quadruplets in Northern Luzon said the thought of her identical babies growing fatherless has become more painful with the fact that they may not get justice for their father’s cold-blooded murder, even as their health is now failing.

Elizabeth, the mother of the Cerezo quadruplets, Mary Joyce (Tingting), Mary Jane (Weng-weng), Mary Rose (Jing-Jing) and Mary Grace (Kring-kring), of this province’s obscure town, is appealing to authorities to continue their investigation and eventually arrest the killers of the quadruplets’ father.

Elizabeth’s husband, Bernard, was murdered days before he was set to testify against a barangay chairman in Quezon City where the family formerly resided.

Elizabeth is a native of this town, while her late husband was from neighboring Isabela province. They were forced to work in the metropolis after Bernard fell victim to an illegal recruiter, causing them to lose their small farm and other properties here. It was in the metropolis where the quadruplets were born on Feb. 16, 1999.

Police reports said Cerezo was shot four times, one in the left side of his back and three in his chest, by a still unidentified gunman despite his pleadings to spare his life.

Before his death on the night of Aug. 18 this year, Bernard was scheduled to testify before the Quezon City council in the graft and corruption cases filed against Ronnie Sicat, the barangay captain of Barangay Central in Diliman, Quezon City.

The father of the quadruplets was a former driver of the barangay.

Earlier, an administrative case against Sicat and his treasurer was filed before the Sangguniang Panglungsod, particularly with the Committee on Administrative Cases against Barangay Officials, for perjury, falsification of public documents and malversation of public funds with Bernard as the complainant as well as witness.

Despite her fragile health, the grieving widow has had to labor as a laundrywoman here to raise at least P300 a day, the amount she needs to feed her quadruplets.

For the past weeks since her ordeal came out through the local media, several civic-spirited Novo Vizcayanos have been extending her assistance in medicines and food allowances.

Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla, one of the officials here helping the Cerezo family, said that the health of the quadruplets is deteriorating.

The identical quadruplets, who will be two years old this February, were transported last week to the Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City through the intercession of Padilla and the province’s Liga ng mga Barangay, for immediate treatment of pneumonia.

While the wheels of justice for her husband could hardly roll as authorities have yet to pin down a single suspect, the fate of her identical quadruplets, probably the only one of its kind in the country today, remains uncertain.