No sooner had people rejoiced over the conviction of the killers of Ruby Jade Ruba and started believing again that life still made sense than they were shaken once more to the core of their beings with the senseless killing of Ellah Joy Pique.
The killing of Ruby Jade was as senseless as they come. She was a nursing student just a few days away from graduation when young men on a motorbike chanced upon her with a cellphone in hand. For her cheap cellphone, the young men snuffed out her life with gunshots.
It did not take the court very long to determine the guilt of the young men. A few days ago, the court sentenced the young men, who seemed to have too much time on their hands when they killed Ruby Jade, to life in prison.
What poetic justice it seemed to people when the decision was handed down. The newspapers bannered the news, and Cebuanos exulted over the development, never mind if Ruby Jade was not a Cebuano but merely studied here for a degree she thought was to be her ticket to a better life.
But the celebration did not last long. All good things just do not seem to last. Last week, Cebuanos were jolted again by some gruesome news. This time, six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique was found dead down a cliff, just a short time after she was reported missing.
Ellah Joy had just come out of her Grade One classes when she was enticed by a couple to ride home with them in their black SUV. Despite the usual parental admonitions about strangers, it seems that Ellah Joy felt convinced it was safe to take that fateful ride.
No one knows how the couple enticed Ellah Joy to come with them. But considering her age, it should not have taken too much persuasion. What provokes more disturbing thoughts is what may have happened after the little girl took the ride.
How was Ellah Joy killed? Was she already dead before she was thrown off the cliff? Or was she still alive and aware of what was to be her fate? From where she was abducted to where she was found is a long way. Did she suffer on the way? Was she subjected to indignities?
The news of her death sent chills down the spines of many Cebuanos, in much the same way that the killing of Ruby Jade earlier did. And with the chills came the anger. Anyone who has a child just entering school or a daughter about to graduate from it cannot but feel it in the gut.
Maybe it is this anger that has driven people from previously just discussing about such incidents to actually taking action about them. Short of taking the law into their own hands, people are now doing something positive about it.
For one thing, I know of a group of lawyers who have initiated a fund drive to help the parents of Ellah Joy find the culprits in the murder of their daughter and bring them swiftly to justice.
A dear friend, lawyer Frank Malilong, told me about this initiative which he spearheaded. He has a core group of lawyer-friends involved in the undertaking, and they have pledged their legal services in relation to the case pro bono.
Dr. Mila Tolentino, who holds office at the Cebu Doctors University Hospital, has also volunteered to handle any amount raised from the fund drive. Those who want to pledge any amount for the fund may contact Malilong’s law office at 2540900, or see Dr. Tolentino at her office.
If there is anything that can potentially redeem the senselessness of these deaths, it is in the manner in which they can bring out the best in some people. Maybe it is in the worst that some people can do that brings out the best in others. If you feel this way, please help out.