Justice for Tara Santelices...

// i just read this a while ago, actually she is an Atenean pero super kakalungkot talaga yung nagyari sa kanya..

TARA SANTELICES was shot in the head last August 6 during a
holdup in Cainta Rizal. She is still in critical condition. 

The JUSTICE FOR TARA SANTELICES: Better Crime Prevention petition to
Philippine Congress, Local Government Units, Phil. National Police, 
Media, the Public was written by Chito Irigo.

“Tara Santelices, 23 years old graduate of the Ateneo de Manila was
shot in a robbery-hold up incident inside a passenger jeep along Felix
Ave. Cainta, Rizal. She was on her way home past midnight (August 6,
2008, about 12:30 AM) with a friend coming from a night out on the eve
of her 23rd birthday. 

Somewhere along a dark stretch of Felix Ave. near Karangalan Village,
a man posing as a passenger, pulled a gun and announced a hold-up. The
man grabbed Tara's bag. Instinctively, Tara held on to her bag and in
the ensuing struggle, the man shot Tara and hit her on the left side
of her forehead. After getting the bag of the others, the man jumped
off the passenger jeep. Tara's companion, who has never been in that
situation asked for help from the other passengers, and told the
driver to bring them to the nearest hospital, as blood was already
spurting out of Tara's head. But instead of driving speedily to the
nearest medical facility, the driver drove as if it was one of his
regular trips, even stopping three times to unload a passenger. Of the
five or six other passengers, only one bothered to help Tara's friend
carry her. The rest just went about their business as if nothing
serious happened. In fact some of the passengers even opted to stop
the vehicle for them to get off, wasting precious time for medical
attention. The driver eventually took them to a small clinic. But even
as Tara's companion was talking to a medical personnel in that small
clinic, the driver drove-off leaving them to look for a taxi to bring
Tara to a better equipped hospital. Tara was given the appropriate
medical attention only about four hours later. The police went to the
hospital to talk to the witness (Tara's friend) only a day later.

It is the height of apathy and indifference that our fellowmen show no
concern about each other specially in such emergency situation as that
involving Tara. It is revolting to know that transport drivers whom
our lives and safety are actually under their responsibility as paying
passengers, do not know what to do or even try to avoid responsibility
under such situations. It is also contemptible that the police had to
act so late and only after follow-ups by friends were made with higher
authorities.

Tara has been in a coma for about a week now, her skull shattered by a
bullet. Her dream of doing humanitarian work with the United Nations
has been shattered as well. Chances of her recovery is almost nil. And
the family remains tortured and pained seeing their precious child in
that condition every day, feeling helpless. They, however, remain
strong in their belief that Tara's fate is in the hands of The Lord
Almighty and continues to pray for a miracle.

But we are not entirely helpless if we help ourselves. Even as we
continue to storm the heavens with our petitions for Tara's recovery,
we can storm those here on earth who have the responsibility and the
means to stop this kind of violence, to prevent it from ever occurring
again, or from happening to us and our loved ones.

Instead of dismissing this incident as one of those that routinely
happens in our streets and thinking about immigrating abroad to escape
the situation, we can do something more positive and more concrete. 

Let us sign the petition below and join the effort to do battle to
combat our own apathy, and to extract responsibility from those who
took an oath to serve us - the Public.”

Please sign this petition
http://www.gopetiti on.com/petitions /justice- for-tara- santelices. html
Please sign this petition
http://www.gopetiti on.com/petitions /justice- for-tara- santelices. html
Please sign this petition
http://www.gopetiti on.com/petitions /justice- for-tara- santelices. html

Here are some articles:
• Justice for Tara Santelices by Cathy S. Babao Guballa 
• Holdup Victim Fighting for Life by Sophia Dedace 
• Artistʼs Sketch of Suspect in Shooting Out by Beverly T.. Natividad