Mom, kid slain in Laguna laid to rest; kin say probe ‘going somewhere’

STA. ROSA CITY, Laguna — The mother and her child who were slain in their house allegedly by two men who posed as technicians of a telecommunication company were laid to rest on Wednesday afternoon amid cries for justice by their family and friends.

Relatives and friends, wearing white shirts printed with a silhouette of a mother and child, gathered at the New City Cemetery here at 4 p.m. to bury Pearl Helene Sta. Ana, 29, and her one-year-old son, Denzel.

The shirts were marked with words calling for justice for Sta. Ana and her son, who died after they were reportedly hit with a hammer by two men who introduced themselves as repairmen for an Internet service provider on March 2.

Sta. Ana’s husband, Richard, said the shirts came from his wife’s high school classmates.

A brown stuffed bear lay atop the white coffin of Denzel, while a bunch of dried red roses was placed on Sta. Ana’s.

At the funeral, Richard planted kisses on Sta. Ana’s casket, as he silently wept and hugged his mother-in-law, Helen.

Wearing a face mask and a cap, Richard declined to answer questions from reporters, but said the stuffed toy, which came from a godparent, was his son’s favorite toy.  “Please let this day be just ours,” he told reporters.

Mourners from the nearby city of Biñan came, saying they were “bothered” by what happened to the victims.

“The [boy] looked like an angel. Surely, whoever did this to them was evil,” a woman said after seeing Denzel’s portrait.

Christian pastor Charles Pak of the South East Asian Mission, who administered the funeral service, said Sta. Ana might not have had the chance to live her life to the fullest and prepare for her death but she was a great person.  “She (Sta. Ana) might not have been able to prepare [for death] but she was a great child,” Pak said.

Sta. Ana’s older brother, James Bon, said the separate investigations being conducted by the police and the National Bureau of Investigation were “going somewhere,” although he could not divulge any information at the moment.

“Right now, with all the help we’re getting [to find the suspects], there’s no reason to be afraid,” he said.

Earlier, the city police classified as “persons of interest” the two telecommunication technicians, who were seen by witnesses at the victims’ house in Barangay (village) Labas here.

Police also considered Richard a person of interest, noting that he was the only person who had prior information that the Internet connection in their house would be checked. Richard was not in the house when the attack happened.

James Bon declined to provide details, but said: “There’s more to what’s being shown to the public.”  SFM