MANILA, Philippines — The National Youth Commission (NYC) called on youth leaders in local communities to ensure the safety of their constituents as they condemned the brutal killing of a Grade 9 student in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
READ: Body of 16-year-old church collector whose face was skinned found in Lapu-Lapu City
In a statement on Thursday, the NYC also called on authorities to bring the perpetrators of the crime behind bars.
“The National Youth Commission strongly condemns the killing of a teenager from Cebu and calls on police authorities to immediately arrest the perpetrator/s,” the NYC said.
“It is the belief of the NYC that justice must be served to the slain young woman…We call on the LYDOs (local youth development officers) and SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) to implement security measures to protect their constituents and to ensure their safety,” it added.
The commission further said that the case of 16-year-old Christine Silawan should be prioritized by authorities so that those responsible again “will not be able to commit a crime of such magnitude to others.”
“We all want peaceful co-existence and we are concerned about such senseless slaying of young people,” the NYC said.
“This must be stopped. Everyone must be vigilant and must observe caution everywhere they go. It is always best to cooperate with police authorities if we see unknown people roaming around villages, housing areas and schools,” it reminded.
Early this week, Silawan’s body was found in an empty lot in Sitio Mahayahay in Barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu City.
Silawan, whose face was skinned exposing her skull, was naked from the waist down and was suspected to have been raped.
However, the recent report from the medico legal office of the Central Visayas Regional Crime Laboratory didn’t find fresh lacerations on the genitalia that might indicate she was raped.
It was also found that some of her internal organs were missing.
READ: Crime Lab: Lapu teen’s body is missing some internal organs
READ: Cebu teenager’s slay: Precise mutilation shocks, baffles authorities
The bounty for any information that would lead to the arrest of Silawan’s killers has reached up to P1.8 million. /jpv
READ: Bounty for Christine’s killers reaches P1.8 M