The body of Christine Lee Silawan was found in this vacant lot in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City on Monday, March 11, 2019. Contributed photo | Jayboy D. Donaire
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed their condemnation on the murder of 16-year-old Christine Silawan, who was found dead half naked with her face skinned to the bone, in Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu City on Monday morning, March 11, 2019.
Lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia, spokesperson of CHR, released a statement through their facebook page, the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines, that the CHR strongly condemns the “brutal” killing of Christine.
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“No one deserves to suffer from such violence, especially that the victim is an innocent child. This act desecrates human dignity and must be punished,” De Guia said through the statement.
She said that the CHR in Central Visayas (CHR-7) has dispatched a quick response team (QRT) to conduct a parallel investigation on the death of Christine and help the law enforcement agencies pursue the suspects of the murder.
Lawyer Arvin Odron, the director of CHR-7, said that he already sent three investigators to Lapu-Lapu City on Monday immediately after he heard the news.
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“I did not believe the news at first because when I saw the pictures I thought it could not have been real. When we received confirmation, I immediately sent a QRT to the area,” Odron told Cebu Daily News Digital on a phone interview.
Odron said that the killing was a ‘blatant’ abuse of the human right to life with the mutilation of the child’s body.
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“Menor de edad siya, babaye pa gyod siya. There was exploitation of her vulnerabilities that led to this brutal abuse,” said Odron.
He also said the CHR is one with the law enforcement agencies in the pursuit for the suspects of the killings and the CHR is ready to fully support the police on the matter. /bmjo