Mother of Chiong sisters wants shoot-to-kill order on convicts

President Rodrigo Duterte's order to give 15 days for inmates who were freed due to conduct time allowances to surrender to the Bureau of Corrections does not sit well with the mother of rape-slay victims Jacqueline and Marijoy Chiong.

Among the over 1,900 convicts in heinous crimes cases who were recently freed because of Republic Act 10592 are three of the seven persons involved in the abduction, rape and killing of the Chiong sisters in 1997.

“Ha,  parang walang binatbat ang Presidente. Given 15 days pa mga akusado to surrender?! Binuang na!” Thelma Chiong told GMA News in a text message.

In an interview before Duterte announced that he already fired Bureau of Corrections Director General Nicanor Faeldon over the release of the Chiong case convicts, Thelma urged that the convicts be killed instead of arrested.

"Alam ko hindi sila gustong bumalik sa Muntinlupa. Patayin na. Shoot to kill. Di ba death row sila? Di death row na rin lang," Thelma said.

"Dapat merong ano e, pabuya. Hanapin sila. Sino makahanap, i-shoot to kill. Justice na yun," she added.

The Chiong convicts have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction, rape and killing of the two sisters.

Their sentence was upgraded to death later on but capital punishment has since been repealed in the country.

Thelma had choice words for Faeldon, whom Duterte announced he fired.

"It was a done deal tapos na. Nakalaya na. Paano ba na 'di niya tinignan papeles ng Chiong 7 na 'di ba dapat walang parole? Dapat sinabihan kami. Protocol 'yun e," Thelma said.

"Di ba dapat alam din ng mga biktima na laya na? Eh, pa'no na ngayon," she added.

Told of Duterte's earlier remark that he wanted Faeldon to resign, Thelma said, “Praise the Lord. Sana matauhan na siya.”

Based on a release order dated August 16, three convicts namely Josman Aznar, Ariel Balansag and Alberto Caño were all freed by virtue of Republic Act 10592.

Faeldon himself confirmed this in a Senate inquiry on Monday.

He pointed to one of his deputies, Maria Fe Marquez, who signed the release papers. Marquez is the Superintendent of the Correctional Institution for Women.

Thelma and her husband Dionisio Chiong said they understood the objective of RA 10592 but added that they were angry at Faeldon because it was his command responsibility not to allow heinous crimes convicts to be released.

"Sabihin ko kay Faeldon, ang kapal ng mukha mo. Bakit ka hindi mag-resign? Ang dami mo nang pinalabas na kriminal!" Thelma said.

"Command responsibility yan ni Faeldon. Dapat alam niya. Is he washing his hands? Ano siya, si Poncio Pilato? Money is involved in this release," she added.

Thelma asked for the immediate rearrest of the convicts.

"Hulihin na nila ba! Dapat hulihin na nila. 'Di ko maintindihan, eh bakit kailangan pa ng court order? Bakit kailangan pa ng warrant para ano diba illegal? Illegal paglabas?" Thelma said.

The Chiong couple said the release of the Chiong case convicts happened only a few weeks before Marijoy’s supposed 43rd birthday on September 8 and Jacqueline’s supposed 45th on September 9.

“Parang pinatay na naman nila uli napakasakit...” Dionisio said. “How can you move on na hindi mo pa nakita yung isang patay?”

Jacqueline’s body has yet to be found.

Asked if they feared for their safety, Thelma said, “Sila ang dapat matakot dahil galit yung mga tao sa kanila. Baka matokhang pa sila eh.”

They said they still planned to meet with policemen on Thursday to ask them to continuously monitor the movements of the convicts.

The Chiong couple said they had no intention of attending the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing. They said they didn't believe it would amount to anything.

They said they would just let God bring them justice.

“God will make a way when there seems to be no way. This is not a dead end dapat may gagawin ang gobyerno natin sa nangyari satin ngayon. Good government is justice government," Thelma said. —NB, GMA News