Apathy kills, too
A CCTV camera caught on tape the last minute of Nick Oniot’s life.
At exactly 10:36 p.m. on October 14, the camera showed Nick walking along a dark street in Taguig. He must have come from what might have been a two- or three-hour commute from his school in San Marcelino, Manila. Carrying a drafting board, Nick was planning perhaps to continue working on a school project that will help him earn a coveted degree in Architecture.
The degree itself speaks volumes of the potential of Nick. Architecture is only for those who have the precision to visualize, measure, and draft blueprints of buildings and other modern marvels. His parents must have surely tried to dissuade him from taking the course but consented anyway to their son’s dream, knowing that the rewards it will reap after his graduation will be worth their sacrifice and hard work.
But all the love they showered on Nick for 18 years was taken away in two gruesome minutes. At 10:37 p.m., Nick came face to face with his murderer. Shocked by the sudden intrusion, his instinct told him to flee. Little did he know that his attacker’s accomplice was standing behind him. As he attempted to run away, the accomplice grabbed his bag to keep him from doing so. Nick tried to fight his way out of the man’s hold. It was at this moment that his murderer charged resolutely towards him and landed the first stab on Nick’s body. It took him only 15 seconds to stab Nick 17 more times before the two were finally able to get their targeted loot.
As painful as those two minutes were, what followed was even more horrific. The bloodied teen tried to ask help from a passing jeepney and a van, both of which slowed down but never halted.
At 10:38 p.m., Nick falls for the first time. He managed to pick himself up, determined to fight for his life and dreams, hoping a kind soul would pass by.
But there were no good Samaritans that night for Nick. Only cold-hearted Filipinos.
He faltered for 15 seconds before falling to the ground. At that very instant, a man who lives in a house with a parked van outside it walks toward the street and sees Nick. Unable to stand, Nick stomps his feet, sending a message to any bystander that he still lives. Another man is seen from the opposite end of the road, walking cautiously towards the victim. The homeowner sees this and takes it as a cue that the fallen boy is no longer his responsibility. He walks back towards the safety of his house. The bystander also stops a few meters away and merely watches Nick die.
The footage has been widely shared on Facebook. Unwittingly, it has made bystanders of us all. Not anymore of the specific tragedy that befell Nick, but of the greater problem of poverty and criminality plaguing our society. Do we drive away, too, by scrolling upwards? Do we just linger around by sharing, commenting and posting, only to forget about this after a day or two? Or do we go out of our way and allow ourselves to be bloodstained by the pain and suffering of our fellow countrymen?
When I first watched this video, I shared it immediately with friends and loved ones, reminding them and myself not to walk anymore the dark alleys of Metro Manila. What is a few pesos spent on Uber compared to the price of one’s life? Then I realized people like Nick do not have these options. Every day is a gamble of life and death, of coming home safely or becoming victims to criminal elements.
To watch that CCTV footage also provides us a glimpse of why the current President is so popular among the masses. For them, he is the only one who cares enough to stop his vehicle. Never mind if he’s not really intent on helping address the greater problems of poverty. They content themselves with the next best thing: a sense of justice and retribution, something they will never get in a judicial system that favors only the rich and powerful.
Incidentally, it was reported that the suspected murderer of Nick had been shot dead by policemen. Nick’s family may feel justice has been served somewhat by this instant retribution. But the fact is it will neither bring their son back nor will it assure the safety of other children. What this tragedy proves is that these horrible crimes continue to happen despite the thousands of deaths of suspected criminals. If at all, it points to the fact that the government’s war does not stop crime. Rather, it contributes to a culture of death, a culture where life has been demeaned of all value, a culture of kill or be killed. It has emboldened both hardened criminals and trigger-happy, road-raging policemen to murder at will.
But let us not forget, too, the last minutes of the footage of Nick Oniot’s murder for therein lies its greatest lesson: The culture of death feeds most of all on our indifference and breeds a mentality of every man for himself. Apathy kills, too, and it does not merely kill mortal bodies but the very soul of our society.
