I was the real target, says another PUP official
The officer in charge (OIC) of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) said on Saturday she may have been the real target of the killers of PUP vice president for administration Augustus Cezar and that the latter’s death could have only been a warning.
Speaking on Saturday at the necrological service for the slain top school official at the PUP interfaith chapel, PUP OIC Estelita de la Rosa told the grieving school community that she had a feeling that Cezar was merely a sacrificial lamb.
“I have been thinking about it since this morning that I may have been the real target or that his death was a warning to me and he (Cezar) was a sacrificial lamb,” De la Rosa said.
When she accepted the post as OIC of PUP, fully backed by Cezar who even called an administrative council meeting last month to introduce her to the community, De la Rosa said that she never expected Cezar to sacrifice his life for her and the entire school.
“I may be the real target. When I accepted this position, my life became abnormal. I have guards now that I do not think I needed just like him (Cezar) because we have not offended or crossed anyone,” she said.
Better to be careful
“But my colleagues told me it is better to be careful. I used to drive but now I was given a car and bodyguards, my life has become abnormal because we do not even know where to pass, we constantly change our way, we vary departure times which have become hindrances to my own freedom,” De la Rosa said.
To bridge gap
She stressed that in accepting the post, she merely wanted to act as the bridge between the PUP community and the board of regents to spare the university from its pitiful state.
For his part, vice president for academics Samuel Salvador expressed hope that Cezar would be given justice, saying, “Such a dastardly and brutal crime does not have any space in this community.”
He described Cezar as a loyal friend, a workhorse and “the secret weapon of the PUP in terms of infrastructure and development” because of his vast experience and diligence.
Salvador revealed that when he last talked with Cezar on Wednesday morning, the latter had disclosed his plans to visit all PUP branches nationwide and had told him, “Let us fix PUP. So when I retire, everything will be well.”
Cezar was set to retire on Dec. 29 this year.
Meanwhile, the slain PUP official’s widow, May Cezar, enjoined the PUP community to open their hearts and minds to the purpose of her husband’s death and urged them to move forward but carry his memory in their hearts.
