Slain UPLB student laid to rest in Rizal hometown

Given Grace Cebanico, the 19-year-old University of the Philippines Los Baños student found brutally killed last week, was laid to rest in her hometown of Binangonan in Rizal Tuesday afternoon. Friends and relatives took part in a two-hour funeral march leading to the Santo Rosario Memorial Park, radio dzBB's Glen Juego reported. Many of them sang Given Grace's favorite Christian songs while others released lavender and white balloons into the air as she was buried, the report said.

Earlier, friends and relatives braved the heat to take part in the march from the community chapel to the memorial park. Many of Given Grace's friends, schoolmates and loved ones wore lavender, the victim’s favorite color, and white at the funeral march in Binangonan in Rizal, according to an earlier report by Juego. Also in an earlier radio interview, Given Grace's mom, Marlene Cebanico, said that while she trusts that justice will be served soon, she urged the Philippine National Police to thwart criminals preying on students. "Alam ko ang hustisya ay makakamit sa lalong mas mabilis na paraan at panahon... Sana itong nangyari sa aking anak ay hindi mauulit, kung kailangan magdagdag ng tanod, sana mangyari yan para ang naramdaman ko hindi maramdaman ng iba," Mrs. Cebanico told dzBB radio. Tragedy at UPLB The body of Given Grace, 19, was found last week near the UPLB area. She was found handcuffed and gagged, with a gunshot wound to the head and bruises to the body. Police said there were indications she may have been sexually assaulted. At least two suspects have been arrested for the incident — bank security guard Lester Ivan Rivera and tricycle driver Percival de Guzman. The Given Grace case is reminiscent of the Sarmenta-Gomez case, a rape-slay case, also in Los Baños, that reached national headlines in the early 90s. The victims — Eileen Sarmenta, who was raped and murdered, and Allan Gomez, murdered — were also UPLB students. Six people were found guilty of the crime, including then-Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez. — RSJ, GMA News