By Julius Mariveles and Cesar Jolito III
BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – At around noontime today, in a Chinese cemetery facing east toward the village where he grew up and breathed his last, Nicus Balagosa was laid to rest.
The senior high school student, only 20, was supposed to turn 21 next week, the latest victim of violence here, killed on the mistaken belief that he raped a girl two days before that girl’s father and four other men attacked Nicus at his home in Granada village where he was shot in front of his parents.
Inside their own bedroom.
“I was hoping to give a speech on your debut, not during your funeral,” his mother, Ritchel, said during the memorial service as hundreds of mourners, mostly friends in their teens, and relatives of the family, listened on before the remains of Nicus were brought to the cemetery.
Nicus was supposed to celebrate his debut next week and had plans to celebrate it at a dog shelter where he, unknown to his parents, had been a volunteer for a long time.
“The most painful part of his life is leaving his parents behind,” Glenn Arellano, a pastor of His Life Ministries said as he presided over the requiem service.
Nearby, friends, mostly his age, wiped away tears and looked on sadly as the last rites were being held for the young Nicus who waa described by friends as a fitness buff and a dog lover.
As doubts hung over his death days before his burial, the city police Criminal Investigation and Detective Management Unit cleared him on its probe over the rape of a girl, 16, when it filed rape charges against two suspects, and did not include Nicus.
“We could not determine the extent of his participation in the crime,” CIDMU chief, Major Joery Puerto, had earlier told DNX
The CIDMU also filed an information before the City Prosecutor’s Office against five men, one of whom is the father of the alleged rape victim, the other her uncle.
“Bisan sino nga babayi nga upod ya nga hubog gina dulong ya puli (He takes any woman to her home, no matter who she is, even if she is drunk),” Quaxo Glenn, a close friend of Nicus told DNX.
Nicus was a road bike enthusiast who also played with the long board and was also into other sports, a sporting buddy, Andrea Madalag said.
Known more as Coicoi to Nicus, she described him as a” good person” and wondered why he was shot calling it “a big question why that happened to him.”
Shinchan Casinas, another friend, praised Nicus for always looking after his band of friends “tanan ya nga barkada gina ulikid ya gid kag wala gina pabay-an (He looked after his friends and did not leave them behind).”
“He was a blessing to his parents,” Goldwyn Chua, one of Nicus’ godfathers, said today.
Chua, the best friend of Eric Balagosa, said he treated Nicus like a son and was even at their house on the afternoon of Sunday talking about the rape incident hours before he was shot.
Nicus Balagosa died on a Sunday around 7pm.
He was laid to rest today amid hopes that justice can be had for his death.
“Kabalo kami diri tanan nga ari d nga insonte ka kag tani mahatag na ang hustisya para sa imo (We who are here all know you are innocent and we hope you will get justice),” Ritchel said before Nicus’ casket was closed, her son’s face forever lost to her gaze, now present only in her memories.
