I saw this banner not too long ago.
My first thoughts were that this man must have recently been shot by police officers who were called to quell a disturbance. All too often it happens that a mentally ill person is having difficulties, the cops are called, and the mentally ill person is killed. That is not the case in this situation.
Digging a little further I came across two, and only two articles from Sunstar respectively dated July 28 and 29, 2015.
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| http://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/22519/ |
The assailants were wearing helmets and jackets. They were aboard on motorcycle without plate number.
Culanag said Brillantes, who underwent drug rehabilitation, has pending records at their station for alarm and scandal complaints. He was previously arrested for possession of illegal drugs.
He said they could not yet determine the motive of the killing as they are still gathering evidences to identity the gunmen.
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| http://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/22705/ |
Culanag said grudge is one of the possible motives in said incident.
Two motorcycle riding gunmen shot and killed this man in cold blood as he was standing in front of his house. Why? It's now three years later and no one has been arrested. No one has been brought to trial and even if they were the case would languish for years. Such is the normal course of justice in the Philippines.
A little searching for the hashtag #JusticeForDukeBrillantes reveals just a bit more about a possible motive.
Lighting our first candles on the spot where my cousin was shot and left a pool of blood. With prayers I call on our dear cousins and relatives to light a candle here every night and/or place flowers in memory of our fallen innocent family member. Dont hesistate to do so that others would see how somebody was murdered just because he is loud and boisterous, suffering from #schizophrenia. Palihog bulig pangamuyo sa katawhayan sang iya kalag, sa kapatawaran sg iya sala kag ang nakasala sa iya. Flowers and candles plus prayers please at the gate beside my clinic
It is not right to kill someone because some people think he is a public annoyance.
One year ago. I know the culprit is just around our community. KABALO KO ARI KA LANG DI KAG PAMILYA MO LAPIT SA AMON. AMBOT KUN MAY KUNSENSYA KA PA SA PAGPAPATAY MO KAY MANONG DUKE. SA GUN-FOR-HIRE NGA NAG TIRO SA IYA, KAMO NA ANG MADASUN MGA MASAPWAN SA KATUBUHAN!!!
This last post from 2016 is the end of the trail. There are no more posts after this.
It's clear to me that this family knows who killed Fernan. Or they have a strong suspicion of who it is but no definite proof. It appears that Fernan Brillantes was known in the neighbourhood for being loud and boisterous and a public annoyance. Perhaps he said or did something which angered somebody.
At the risk of trivialising this man's death and angering his family let me categorically state that the murder of Fernan Brilliantes by unknown motorcycle gunmen is simply a local tragedy within a much larger problem in the Philippines.
2011:
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| https://web.archive.org/web/20170402013021/http://www.interaksyon.com/article/22575/pnp-declares-all-out-war-vs--criminals-riding-in-tandem-on-motorbikes |
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has declared an all-out war against gunmen riding in tandem on motorcycles and responsible for the murder of 2,089 persons in 2011 and counting.
In 2011, the PNP recorded 1,700 crime incidents involving riding-in-tandem suspects with 2,089 victims. This is higher than the 1,565 incidents in 2010 with 1,819 victims.2013:
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570697/riding-in-tandem-motorcyclists-committed-over-3000-crimes-in-metro-manila-in-2013-police |
2017:
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937451/pnp-drug-war-exit-killings-riding-in-tandem-motorcycle-riding-suspect-shooting-crime |
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| http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/632175/motorcycle-riding-gunmen-killed-125-in-less-than-a-month-pnp-data/story/ |
He said the motorcycle-riders have victimized a total of 363 people during the 29-day period. Of this figure, 125 people were killed.
Marquez said police have arrested 64 motorcycle-riding suspects while 380 more are still at-large.
Of these incidents, the police have declared only 45 as solved, 14 have been "cleared" and 267 are still under investigation.
The family should change their banner and slogan. "Schizophrenia is not a crime" is a non-sequitur. It also implies that if Fernan was guilty of a crime, say rape, that his murder would have been justified. Is the Brillantes family supportive of vigilante justice? The truth about Fernan's death is much more shameful.
This man's life was taken from him in the same way anyone would take the life of a roach or a mouse. Fernan was treated as less than a man and his life was not deemed worthy of value or respect in the eyes of his killers. He was seen as a problem to be gotten rid of and he was accordingly stamped out. Now he is dead and his exterminators remain at large and will likely never be brought to justice.
In the Philippines life is often not respected or valued and thus becomes cheap. The family's new slogan should be, "Schizophrenia does not make anyone less human."
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