Justice still evades murdered CTU scholar

BAÑOC

Today is exactly two months since a beautiful young lady scholar of Cebu Technological University (CTU) Argao Campus was last seen alive by her classmates and friends. Genevieve Jabello, 21, was supposed to graduate with a degree in Animal Science this year had she not been brutally killed the following day at a secluded mountain barangay of Sibonga, Cebu.

A week after Genevieve’s dead body was found, Mr. Joselito Jabello, the victim’s father, visited me in our radio station, DYHP, and asked for my assistance to seek justice for her slain daughter. I referred him to NBI-7 so that it can conduct a parallel investigation on the incident with the Sibonga police.

I saw the unfathomable sorrow on Joselito’s face with regard to what happened to his daughter, a scholar of CTU, whom he described as his only hope to help the family after the supposed graduation this coming March. He said he has two siblings but the other one is a special child. He cries for justice to be served as soon as possible.

Yet what is more tragic is that until now, it seems that authorities have not given any updates on their investigations. He is in a quandary and needs to be clarified of the following questions: Are the authorities still working to solve the case? If so, are they still facing a blank wall until today? Do they have leads already to solve such a heinous crime?

So far, the authorities know that the residents of Barangay Guimbangcoan, Sibonga heard two successive bursts of gun on the eve of November 20, 2016. They also gathered additional evidence at the crime scene. They already have the autopsy results. They are aware that a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) was seen in the area on that very incident. What else do they need to at least get a lead as to who the perpetrator is?

What happened to the CCTV footages that they gathered? Do they see clearly the plate number of the SUV? Have they counterchecked it with LTO to identify its owner?

I can still freshly recall that the LGU and business establishments of Argao have good CCTV equipment which helped in identifying the alleged policemen who ambushed the late Atty. Noel Archival in Dalaguete in 2014. Hopefully, such equipment can also help a lot in solving the case of a lady who was still a student, poor, and powerless compared to the late Archival.

With the surrounding circumstances and evidences gathered, the investigators can now more or less analyze the status and capacity of the perpetrator. I hope they will not hesitate to run after him or them even if it will come out that he or they are powerful people.

It will be a great injustice if those responsible will not be punished of the crime that they did. Can our authorities afford that those people can victimize more?

Justice for the CTU scholar would mean justice to the next would-be victims!