cherrypiquero-ballescas 16 and 10,000

Had she been allowed to extend the payment of a P10,000 debt, KristelTejada could still be alive today. At a tender age of 16, sadly, she ended her life. Or should the more appropriate statement be, at 16, Kristel was pushed to end her life by factors too many, too intertwined, and, too much for her to endure?

Was the burden of a debt of P10,000 to heavy for her to bear ? Or was the burden of having to go on leave of absence (LOA), of not being able to enroll or of not being allowed to have her credits, her diligent work at UP not recognized and graded, too much for her to carry?

Did she despair UP, her pamantasang mahal, her beloved university, ignored her plea, her efforts, her dreams to lift her whole family from poverty and did that despair finally lead her to surrender and end her young life?

KRISTEL made it CRYSTAL clear to all that despite poverty, despite being a girl from notorious Tondo, she had the intelligence, she had the drive, she had her dream of making a difference for herself and her family, and for our country.

How many of our people know that many of UP Manila's students end up in the medical profession?

Would Kristel have been a doctor, a nurse, assisting many of our needy, especially where there are no doctors, no nurses? Would she have gone on to higher heights, beyond Tondo, not only to help her family, but in the service of God and people?

Kristel is gone, however.

We will never know the answers to many questions about why she finally gave up on life (or what factors weighed on her and pushed her to finally give up on life) and about what she would have done had she been alive.

Kristel, nevertheless, left the crystal clear message that with her death, no other student, should be made to carry the burden of the cruel, unfair, unjust late payment policy, especially at the State University, the premier university of deserving scholars like her.

There would have been more creative and lighter alternatives for delayed payments or debts that UP Manila should have explored to benefit, not to stress or push students to despair, especially scholars like Kristel, especially students from Tondo and needy families.

Kristel and the students she represents have seen so much despair around them, so much poverty around them YET they chose to go beyond these challenges, through their hard work and intelligence.

Her passing grades, her frequent, repeated pleas for consideration, her being from Tondo and her having made it to UP Manila on her second semester as a first year student should have alerted truly sensitive educators and administrators about Kristel's remarkable determination and achievement to be more than just a poor girl from Tondo.

Sadly, UP Manila failed to appropriately, to sensitively respond to Kristel's pleas. Enlarge that to the whole UP System, to the wider national educational system, to the whole national government that continues to deny students their right to education within this country.

Oh, if only there the funds stolen by the abusive and corrupt in this country were properly utilized for education and for other basic needs of our people!

Will the fat bonuses from Enrile and those others distributed among GOCCs and undeserving people now be returned to redeem other students from any further desperate attempts to give up their young lives?

Symbolically, Kristel ended her life with a silver cleaner. Kristel's suicide should be a crystal clear signal to all that there is so much that need cleaning in this society, so much that need polishing so that the beauty and worthy essence of scholars like Kristel will be allowed to shine rather than be extinguished, defeated, and lost.

Sana'y dinggin ng UP nating mahal, ang boses mo, Kristel!

No doubt, you could have done more in your life but at 16, you have done your share for your family and our country, Kristel. We thank the Lord for sharing you with us all. May you now rest in God's eternal love and peace.

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