WHEN news broke out of how 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan from Cebu was gruesomely murdered, her face peeled off, it reminded me of the murders in the crime novel turned movie Smaller and Smaller Circles.
In the book, young boys in Payatas were one by one abducted and their bodies thrown back to the garbage heap with their faces peeled off.
Just like the book, Christine’s lifeless body was found with her face missing. Seeing the actual photo of Christine’s peeled off skull, which I did, is horrifying.
Did fact meet fiction here? In the book, the lawyer-investigator Benjamin Alves said “there are no serial killers in the Philippines.”
But our country is seeing a series of killings, thousands felled in the police’s anti-drugs campaign. These killings, which target the poor, has been cheered by the president’s fan base. This war will stop people going into drugs they say.
But then, the body of Christine appeared, face peeled off, organs around the neck removed. This war seems to be not scaring off anyone with murderous thought.
Next comes the difficult part. Finding the suspect. Just like in the book, police work gets things messed up.
Police first captured a suspect named Jonas Bueno, who is found in Matina Crossing, Davao City.
Jonas has a warrant for the murder of a farmer in Danao City whose face was disfigured. For the police, they found a similar pattern in the victims’ murder, and believed Jonas is behind it all. Bueno’s appearance also look every part the suspect. A demon tattoo on the chest. A confession that he joined a cult.
The problem was, he only admitted killing the farmer, but not the girl.
Back in Cebu City, the NBI was able to capture Christine’s former boyfriend. But alas, the court released the suspect because he was arrested without a warrant. This happened on the day of Christine’s burial. Is it ironic to say justice is buried as well?
It seems there are no serial killers anyway. But our country is seeing a series of killings. Two weeks ago, a lawyer-friend was killed in Tagum City. Meanwhile, activists, Lumad leaders and farmers in rural areas are being felled on mere suspicion they are communists.
And when they are not killed, activist leaders like Higaonon leader Jomorito Goaynon and peace advocate Rey Casambre, are jailed and charged with illegal possession of firearms and terrorism, a non-bailable charge.
There are no serial killers. But there are politicians who make a killing from greed and suppressing civil rights, and they are getting away with it.
tyvelez@gmail.com