She let her mom dreamt of her and Christine Silawan, the 16 year-old alms collector who was skinned to death begged for help. “Ma, tabang Ma (mom, help Mom),” Lourdes Silawan told Newsph.org in a composed manner although visibly trying to prevent her tears from falling. She had that dream last Tuesday dawn about 24 hours after Christine was believed to have been killed before she was dumped in a grassy lot in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City.
Lourdes said because of tiredness, lack of sleep and sorrow about her daughter’s fate, she dreamt. She now wanted the authorities to immediately arrest the perpetrators. “Hustisya. Maayo unta ug madakpan nila dayon samtang wala pa malubong akong anak arun intawn mahiluna na ang iyang kalag, (justice. I hope they could make an arrest soonest before my daughter’s burial so that her soul will be in peace), Lourdes added in the interview in the wake of her daughter.
Christine would have her 17th birthday this coming March 26, three days after Lourdes would also have hers on March 23. She will be turning 48. According to Lourdes, her daughter who is a Grade 9 student in Maribago National High School, dreamed of becoming a flight stewardess. She said that would have fit Christine whom she described as “tall and pretty.” “Pirmi gyud tu muingon siya namo nga angayan ba kuno siya mag stewardess. Inig panamin niya muingon gyud siya sa iyang mga manghud, (she would always asked us if she fits to be stewardess.
Everytime she faced the mirror she would really tell it to her younger siblings),” Lourdes said. Christine is the second of a brood of four. Her elder sister is a teacher. She had a 13 year-old younger brother and 11 year old sister. The boy also had his birthday last Tuesday. According to Lourdes, Christine was her closest. They even slept beside each other after their lunch before Christine served in the 4pm Sunday mass of the Sacred Heart Parish in Barangay Pajac. She did not noticed any premonition before her daughter left.
Christine did not go home that night. The balut vendor whom Christine bought some along with a male friend who is “sacristan” theorized that Christine was met by her perpetrators near the vicinity of the church. The balut stand was about 100 meters away from the church. “Didto ra tu tingali atbang sa simbahan kay wala man ko ka-obserbar nga dihay niduol nila dihang nangaon sila diri, (it could have happened infront of the church because I did not observed that somebody went near them),” the balut vendor told Newsph.org.
Ryan, the friend, said, he left for a while to answer the call of nature in the church toilet. When he came back, Christine was already gone. The police revealed that the main suspect of the crime communicated to Christine through online chat. Christine could have managed to have the chat before she left for the church. Her mother and elder sister turned over to the police the phone which Christine had used. The police through its technical experts traced the chat exchanges in the phone.
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