MANILA, Philippines - A line of Cub Scouts saluted and schoolmates waved pink flags as the casket bearing the remains of Stephanie Nicole Ella was brought yesterday morning to the Caloocan school where she was a first grader.
The seven-year-old honor pupil was killed by a stray .45-caliber bullet as she watched fireworks outside her home during the New Year’s Eve revelry in Caloocan City.
Classmates at the Tala Elementary School displayed placards demanding justice for Nicole as her white casket was taken out of a Ford Fiera at around 9:30 a.m. for special necrological services.
Her grieving parents and five-year-old brother Ken followed the casket into the school’s covered court, which was adorned with pink balloons, Nicole’s favorite color.
Nicole will be buried today in Norzagaray, Bulacan, with her killer still at large.
Asked by teachers to address the students and teachers, Nicole’s father Jay expressed hope that his daughter’s death would compel trigger-happy gun owners to stop firing their guns indiscriminately.
“May they see Nicole every time they pull the trigger,†Jay said.
He said he and his wife Ellaine Glenn still could not accept Nicole’s death.
“May ours be the last family to suffer this pain. May Nicole be the last stray bullet victim,†he said.
He and his wife thanked those who have helped their family. Ellaine Glenn urged Nicole’s killer to surrender.
Addressing his daughter, Jay’s voice cracked as he said, “I love you very much. I promise you I will do my best to give you the justice you deserve.â€
The parents said Nicole’s brother Ken refused to talk about her death.
“Sometimes we see tears in his eyes. Whenever we try to talk about it, he would immediately wipe the tears away and say he has a cold,†Jay said.
He recalled that the siblings were close, sleeping in the same bed, playing and spending a lot of time together.
Jay described Nicole as a loving daughter and sister. She studied hard for her future, earning medals that were displayed on her casket.
Nicole was hit in the head and was comatose for two days at the East Avenue Medical Center. After she went into cardiac arrest for the eighth time, her family decided she had suffered enough and no longer had her revived.
On Jan. 2, her remains were brought to their house on San Lorenzo Street in Tala, Caloocan, where a seven-day wake was held.
Yesterday, her remains were transported to her school in a procession that lasted about 20 minutes.
Teachers greeted the arrival by singing “Tanging Yaman.â€
The other day, police took in for questioning one of Nicole’s neighbors.
Grene Milo Da, a painter, was taken in following a police search of his house in Barracks II, Malaria, Caloocan.
Armed with a warrant issued by the Caloocan regional trial court, the special Investigation Task Group Nicole searched Da’s house behind Nicole’s home and confiscated a 9mm pistol. – With Pete Laude