Thursday, August 19, 2004 Wenceslao: Tragedy in Barili By Bong Wenceslao
Analyn Jaroy was but 13 and her sister Ma. Mae only 4 when they were raped and killed by still unknown person or persons. Reports say the older girl had 26 stab wounds, with her mouth severely fractured, while the younger one was stabbed 29 times. Ma. Mae’s body was found at the foot of a cliff, that of Analyn in the bushes near a river.
People in the hinterland village of Napo in Barangay Sta. Ana Barili obviously didn’t expect this tragedy to happen in their place. I lived for almost seven years in places like Sitio Napo, and I always considered the residents gentle and hospitable. But life is harsh there, especially for those without the means to earn enough for the family.
Crimes of this magnitude always happen in a sad backdrop. The girls’ father, Justino, and his wife, Gina, make a living driving trisikad from early in the morning until sunset. That means the house is left to the care of the children, and the children to the hands of fate. Analyn attended to the young ones, lit the lamp at night and cooked dinner.
One could have immediately sensed vulnerability in that. But in normal times in a rural setting, families rely on the neighbors for added protection and on the good nature of individuals in the community. Besides, what can Justino and Gina do other than pray for the safety of the children they are leaving behind every time they go to work?
But these are not normal times. Many of the vices and bad practices in the urban areas have penetrated the rural areas, thus breaking the usual circle of life there. Policemen have pinpointed a suspect in the rape and killing of Analyn and Ma. Mae—their first cousin who is but 16 years old. And you guessed it; he is allegedly a drug user.
It would be interesting to find out the background of the other perpetrators of the crime, that is, if more than one person did it, which is likely. With the gravity of what was committed, one is prompted to think something must have turned mere human beings into animals. So maybe prohibited drugs. Or the proliferation of pornographic materials.
Which reminds me. I have this feeling many of the rape cases nowadays have some links to the easy availability of X-rated VCDs peddled by the same people behind the proliferation of pirated VCDs. I am sure many of these X-rated VCDs have gone the whole breadth of the province, some landing in the hands of potential rapists.
What I am saying is that the tragedy that befell the Jaroys can be traced to the downward spiral of our society. Nobody is safe from this setup anymore, whether one is in the urban areas or in the mountain barangays. I really don’t know if we have reached the bottom of the pit. For if not, expect more of what befell the Jaroys to happen.
TEXTREAX. From Souie Mercado of the Association of Concerned Commuters of Cebu: “As of this time, only a little over 2,500 new fare matrices were issued out of the more than 9,000 PUJs in Central Visayas. This is very alarming. This means law enforcement units are only 25-29 percent effective!
Attention President Arroyo, it’s time to abolish those useless government agencies.”
Lastly, here’s Archiebrown of Cebu City: “What really is the correct term?
Taripa or tarima? I often hear people say taripa, but I also heard the chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board say tarima. It’s matrix in English. Taripa is tariff, right?” (I think its taripa. By the way, you can’t translate matrix into matris. Matris in Cebuano is uterus, di ba?)
(e-mail: khanwens@yahoo.com; text: 0927-4912362)
(August 19, 2004 issue) Write letter to the editor.Click here. Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here.
