The shooting to death of a high school teacher in Abra in broad daylight is a deplorable act and should not be treated as another crime occurrence left unsolved.
The shooting to death of Rudy Steward Sayen of Suyo National High School in Pidigan, Abra on Sept. 28 has robbed the teaching community of one individual tasked with the responsibility of molding the future of the province’s young people.
The victim, also popularly known as Ms. Estee Saway, was a member of the LGBTIQA+ Abra being a transgender woman.
The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died while being treated at a hospital after one of the two suspects followed and fired at her while on her way to school.
Sayen’s death does not only leave a void in the organizational structure of the school, which will have to deal with the sudden and eternal absence of one of its personnel, but also left several children orphaned, as they no longer have a second parent.
Her death also cut off the process of the learners’ knowledge acquisition made more difficult in wake of the recent quake that greatly affected the academe sector in the province.
Worse, the suspect might have stripped a young mind of a model or an inspiration in life.
The killing has also robbed the Department of Education of a teacher, adding to the public school system’s burden of having to make do with the already impractical teacher to student ratio.
Teaching, cliché as it may sound, is the noblest profession.
Killing a teacher is also killing the dreams of the learners who rely on their expertise to quench their thirst for knowledge. Stealing a teacher’s life is depriving a lot of children of their chance to be molded into better members of society.
It is unfortunate Sayen was killed at a time the country is celebrating the National Teachers Month, a month-long celebration so designated to honor the greatness and dedication of teachers in helping the youth reach their dreams.
The LGBTQIA+ community in Abra condemned the killing, as members also demand those behind the killing are brought to justice.
It is not enough that the Police Regional Office-Cordillera under its Director B/Gen. Maffy Bazar joins the public condemnation of the incident, as the public expects more from the command – to cause the arrest of suspects and file the necessary charges against them.
Information has it that four suspects in relation to the killing of Sayen were arrested and it is our wish that credible witnesses, including those who might have information, will come forward to help police investigators in their follow-up investigation for the immediate resolution of the case.
We hope the incident in Abra will not cause fear and anxiety among teachers in Abra and elsewhere in the future.
We hope too that Sayen’s dreams for the learners did not die with her, as she belonged to a noble profession that inspires courage and passion even in most difficult situations, such as her untimely death.