Family seeks justice as slain Bacolod teen buried

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — “We will not stop until justice will be duly served.”

This was the statement of the brother of a 17-year-old girl who was laid to rest at the Valley of Peace in Barangay Mandalagan on Wednesday, a week after she was found dead in Barangay 12 on Oct. 22.

Police said the victim was strangled to death and sexually assaulted by unidentified perpetrators, and was found hogtied with her lower garment pulled down in a vacant lot by a passerby.

“What you did to my sister is beyond forgiving — ngaa amo gid na? Until now indi namon mabaton ang natabo,” her brother said during the eulogy.

He added that their family remains united and will not stop until the perpetrator is identified and held accountable under the full force of the law.

“We want to give her the dignity she deserves,” he said.

He also expressed sympathy for families of other victims of similar crimes, saying, “Our heart goes to the victims who suffered the same.”

Her mother thanked those who supported and loved her daughter and stood with them during their grief.

Her father also spoke during the interment and expressed his love and sorrow for his daughter.

White balloons were released during the burial as the family continued their call for justice.

Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez earlier offered a PHP 100,000 reward for any information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.

The Bacolod City Police Office has created a Special Investigation Task Group to focus on solving the case.

Police Station 1, which is handling the investigation, has begun reviewing footage from nearby closed-circuit television cameras to identify possible leads.

The victim was last seen alive on the afternoon of Oct. 21 when she left their boarding house in Barangay 12 after her training at a construction firm.

Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, director of the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region, said in an interview on Monday that he directed BCPO Director Police Col. Joeresty Coronica to conduct an in-depth investigation.

He also thanked the city government for the cash reward, saying it may help encourage witnesses to come forward.

Ibay added that police are intensifying patrol operations not just in Bacolod City, but across the entire region, to prevent similar crimes.