The mothers of two students killed in the June 22 mass shooting at San Jose National High School welcomed President Marcos Jr.’s tribute honoring them.
This gesture was made by the chief executive during his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona).
The victims’ mothers, however, stressed that their foremost appeal remains the same – justice for their children and other victims.
While grateful that the president recognized the heroism and sacrifice of the three slain students before the nation, Erbea Fabian and Jennelyn Baldoria said no tribute could replace accountability for those who are responsible for one of the country’s deadliest school shootings.
‘We are thankful that the president mentioned us in his Sona. But more than anything else, we want justice to be served,’ Fabian, mother of victim Cris Lorenz, told the Inquirer.
Baldoria, whose daughter Yohancee was also among those killed, echoed the same appeal, saying they hope authorities will also hold the 14-year-old suspect accountable.
‘We want the 14-year-old included in the case because he was identified as the one who shot and killed my daughter,’ she said.
Under the Philippines’ Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children aged below 15 are exempt from criminal liability, although they may undergo intervention programs.
The grieving mothers said they were unable to watch the president’s Sona live.
Court hearing
Fabian spent the day visiting her son’s grave, while Baldoria was attending a court hearing where she saw, for the first time through a video link, the 15-year-old suspect facing arraignment.
The two suspects, who are minors, are currently in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at its rehabilitation facility in Tanauan, Leyte.
Prosecutors have filed three counts of murder, three counts of frustrated murder, and multiple counts of serious physical injuries against the 15-year-old suspect. The 14-year-old was not charged because of the legal exemption from criminal liability due to age.
In his Sona, Mr. Marcos honored the families of the three slain students-Cris Lorenz, Yohancee and Ayessa Nicole Dazo-who died in the shooting inside the San Jose National High School campus on June 22.
‘We are all so very proud of the unflinching bravery and heroic virtue that you have instilled in your children. They are an inspiration to us all. Their courage and their selflessness, true Filipino qualities, are the virtues that these trying times call for,’ the president said.
The June 22 attack, which also left several students injured, was widely regarded as among the worst school shooting in Philippine history.
It prompted schools nationwide to tighten campus security measures and triggered renewed discussions on school safety and juvenile justice.
Juvenile justice law
Fabian said the tragedy has reinforced their call for Congress to revisit the country’s juvenile justice law, particularly the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
‘We are appealing for the age of criminal liability to be lowered. This is not only for our family but to help prevent similar incidents in the future where very young offenders cannot be held criminally accountable,’ she said.
In the weeks following the shooting, several schools in Tacloban City and other parts of Eastern Visayas, as well as elsewhere in the country, received shooting threats-many of which authorities later determined to be hoaxes-but which heightened concerns over campus security.
Despite their continuing grief, the families expressed appreciation for the assistance extended by the national government.
On July 3, each family received P150,000 in financial assistance from the Office of the President.
They have also been promised to be given housing units in a resettlement community originally developed for survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which devastated Tacloban City in 2013.
Additional financial aid was provided by various elected officials, the DSWD, the Department of Education, and other government agencies and private individuals.