Where has the gentleness gone?

I was scanning the last post i've made here, and realized that i have not blogged for a while. I was in deep slumber for writing anything for the blog... but was awakened with a strong will to really post my say regarding the disturbing hullabaloos around me. Depressingly disturbing.

Even at this very time, i still find it bizarre and hair-raising to think about how tragic the fate were for Jayfel Rayoso and Ann Rosefe Bernadette Neri who were murdered on the first quarter of the year here in Dumaguete.

I was not a close friend of the two anyway. But I remember Jayfel, my schoolmate in Immaculate Heart Academy where i studied for two years in high school. Ann Rose, in the other hand, was Ms. Dumaguete 2008, and was my acquaintance being a judge of several pageants i hosted back then... and i can still remember how she lits excitement to the program when she smiles after being introduced.

Both tragedies were saddening: Jayfel was a 2nd year mass communications student at Silliman University; Ann Rose was a Broadcast Communication student in Foundation University. But the two had also two different stories - and that's another two, long and intriguing stories.

But the two persons' fate should not be were the story centers now that they're gone... not even to the stories of their "faults" that puts the blame to the murdered people for their acts. There should be NO REASON to murder anybody even when they had committed wrong decisions.

Going back, the story should now center on these two areas: First, on how justice was sought and how fast investigations go. Second, how Dumaguete became less gentle nowadays.

The first area can be so much debatable, it can spur a number of issues interrelated to each other, and branches to another and ends up with this: No justice at all. Slow pace of investigation. Then we move to the issues of the government... and so on and blah blah blah. The second can be less debatable - it's a saddening, obvious fact. And it ends up with only one question:

"Where has Dumaguete's gentleness gone?"

Or has it really gone? Does it even still exist?

I'd like to believe Dumaguete still is. But the several murders prove me that this place is not as gentle as i'm hoping it should be. And i just... fret. Many speculate that it might be because of Dumaguete's struggle to be a progressive Visayan City - and that i bet.

There are many positive prerequisites to progress - strong economic system, good governance, massive public works - but we cannot alienate the fact that it also brings forth negative prerequisites. These negative prerequisites are now slowly occurring as i see it - more street children, more garbage, and the aforementioned, CRIMES.

Besides Jayfel's murder, three crimes have occurred in metro Dumaguete - one in Banilad Pensionne House (the murder of an alleged prostitute), one in Sibulan (The Hara Sang FU case), the shot doctor's case, the shot businessman's case, and the tear-jerking news about a 9-year old child raped in Valencia and then later helplessly beheaded.

What has justice done today to these people? Where has the gentleness gone?

These issues may only be birthpains of progress. But if these are birthpains, I'd rather stop progress be born. It isn't progress if it can't spare lives.