Bella says jail ‘turned her life around’
BELLA Ruby Santos said being holed up in jail for one year and a half brought her closer to God.
“To me, the jail is a very lonely place. But you are never alone. I was able to have a personal encounter with the Lord here. I found inner peace which I never experienced outside,” she told reporters.
The primary suspect in the kidnap-murder of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique was released from the Naga City Jail at 9:20 a.m yesterday after posting P500,000 bail for her temporary liberty.
She rode a Mitsubishi Montero sports utility vehicle (SUV) to the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in barangay Inayagan, Naga City where she prayed before an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary carrying the Child Jesus.
She then went to her house a few meters away where she was welcomed by relatives and friends with a feast of pork stew, bam-i or noodles, roasted fish and puso or hanging rice.
Santos,37, a former bar girl, admitted that she had a colorful past but said it didn’t include killing Ellah Joy.
She said she hopes to change her ways now that she had been granted liberty.
“I have many sins. But I realize that something in me is good. The Lord loves me. He has proper timing…I’ve been lost and ungrateful for the blessings God gave me. I pray that I will become a good and prayer individual,” she said in Cebuano.
Santos said she will stay in her two-storey home in Naga City while waiting for the court to resolve the kidnapping with homicide charges filed against her.
The criminal trial is ongoing.
When asked if she’s afraid of vigilantes or persons who may try to kill her, Santos said “I believe everything that happens in this world is permitted by God. I’m not afraid.”
Santos said a church-based group would visit the jail and taught her how to read the Bible.
She said she intends to join the religious group which propagates a devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus.
“The jail has its own world. Everyday I fought against boredom and a tired body. When I would get up in the morning, it seemed that my body was scourged. There were times when I wanted to give up. Had I not prayed, I would have been crazy by now,” she said.
She said she would try to develop her spiritual life by joining Bible study, among others.
“Although I’m free, I know the victim’s family is in pain. I don’t know what to do. I think prayers will answer everything. I may be looking for justice. But Ellah Joy’s family is also looking for justice,” Santos said.
Ellah Joy’s father Renante was crying in the family home in Minglanilla town after leanring that Santos was released on bail yesterday.
“The decision of the court to release Bella is unfair. Why was she freed easily? I’m afraid that all efforts will be in vain,” he told reporters.
Renante, however, said he continues to hope that Santos will be convicted by the court.
“I hope we will still be able to get justice since the case hasn’t been resolved yet. I’m convinced that Bella killed my daughter,” he said.
He urged Santos not to run away from the case.
“Di unta siya mosibat. Inosente man kaha siya. Atubangon niya ang kaso. (I hope she will not escape. She said she is innocent. She should face the charges),” h said.
Santos and Renante vowed to attend this Friday’s hearing of the motion for reconsideration on the court’s decision to grant bail to the accused.
