REMEMBRANCE. Renante Pique named his tricycle after his murdered daughter Ellah Joy. He said he and his family will fade from public view as they move on with their lives, without getting justice. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Their quest for justice may have failed, but the family of slain Ellah Joy Pique is trying hard to move on by finding meaning to the six-year old’s senseless death.
“Learn from us,” said the slain child’s father, Renante.
As he tries to move on from the painful court battle, Renante Pique expressed hopes that the death of his six-year-old daughter won’t be in vain.
“Hinaut dunay pagtulon-an nga makuha ang kadaghanan. Unta mahigmata ang tanan nga dili mokompyansa sa atong mga anak. (May people learn a lesson from this incident. I hope people will be awakened and make sure that their children are safe),” said the 43-year-old father in an interview with Cebu media personality Bobby Nalzaro over GMA’s DySS last Saturday.
The father said he would fade from public view and described last Saturday’s interview as his last.
Blunder
He admitted that he was wrong for not fetching his daughter Ellah Joy from school on February 8, 2011.
“Duna man koy sayop. Kon wa pa ko motugot nga molakaw ang akong anak nga siya lang usa sa kalsada, walay kaubang nga hamtong, dili unta to mahitabo. (I too committed a mistake. If only I didn’t allow Ellah Joy to go home alone, without any mature companion, she should not have been kidnapped),” he added.
After his quest for justice ended in disappointment, Renante called it quits.
He enjoined parents to always be on the lookout for the safety of their children.
He said he no longer has any intention of contesting the dismissal of the case against Bella Ruby Santos whom he believed killed Ellah Joy.
“Gibuhat na namo ang tanan. Pero mao ra na ang among naabot. Siguro ang akong anak dili na makamahay nako. (We have done everything we can. What else we can do? I think my daughter won’t have any regrets anymore),” Renante said.
“Gusto na nako magbaton og kalinaw sa akong kinabuhi, og usab sa akong pamilya. Magsugod kog balik. Mobarog kog balik. (I wish peace within me and my family. I will start all over again. I will stand up),” he added.
Although justice was elusive to them, Renante said he’s nevertheless happy to have known the person whom he believed killed Ellah Joy.
“Bisan sukwahi ang decision sa korte, ang importante dayag na sa akoa ang kamaturoan og kon kinsa gyud ang tinuod nga kriminal. (Even if we didn’t get a favorable ruling, what’s important is I already know the truth on who killed my daughter),” he said.
Renante said he could not get over losing his only daughter Ellah Joy.
“Ako man gud to siya pinangayo sa Ginoo. Sa wala pa ko naminyo, ganahan ko naay anak nga babaye. Gitagaan man tuod ko, pero gibawi man sad. (Ellah Joy was an answered prayer from God. Before I got married, I really wanted to have a daughter. I was given one. But she was taken away from me),” he said.
Renante has two remaining children aged 18 and 12. He and his wife earn a living through “buy and sell” of purified drinking water and some fashion accessories.
He could not help but express dismay over the police investigators in the case.
“Daghan na kaayo og sayop og mga lapses pagsugod pa lang aning kasoha. Ato pa lang pagdakop nila ni Berger. Pero dili na ko gusto masamok. Ako lang nga unta makahatag og pagtulon-an labi na sa to mga law enforcers. (There were several lapses by the time this case started. It all began with the arrest of Berger. But I don’t want to ruin the investigation. I hope law enforcers will learn something from this),” Renante said.
When Ellah Joy was missing, Renante said he sought help from a policeman but the latter allegedly told him “nganong kidnapon man na ang imong anak, dato diay ka? (Why would kidnappers take your daughter? Are you rich?).”
“Karon ako ihatag ang pasaylo sa tanan. Ako lang nga magmalinawon na ang akong pamilya. (I have forgiven everyone who caused me pain. All I want now is for my family to attain peace),” he said.
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