EDITORIAL - Quest for justice continues

Six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique was finally laid to rest Sunday afternoon but the quest for justice continues. Over 6,000 people attended her burial at the Pardo Public Cemetery, all clamoring for the speedy resolution of her case.

Piques’s death shocked Cebuanos: She was abducted from her school in Minglanilla town one afternoon and was found dead with smashed head in Barili town the following days.

It took the police a couple of days to apprehend two suspects: A Norwegian national and his Filipina fiancée. Engineer Sven Erik Berger and Nurse Karen Esdrelon were arrested at the airport while they were about to fly for Hong Kong where they were supposed to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Based on the testimonies of three witnesses, police authorities, led by Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Erson Digal, have filed kidnapping with homicide charges against the suspects.

But Berger and Esdrelon vehemently denied the accusation. To prove their innocence, they presented proof that they did not leave Cebu City on the day Pique was kidnapped from her school.

The findings of the inquiry conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation also confirmed the claims of the couple. Even Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia believed in the credibility of the NBI report.

As we have said before, since the criminal complaint had already been filed, the ball is now in the hands of the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. All the two panels have to do is present all evidence they have gathered for the immediate decision of the prosecutors.

Meanwhile, relatives of the victim are crying for justice. As to who is telling the truth, we do not know. It’s up to the prosecutors to decide. But one thing for sure, those responsible for Pique’s death must pay.