13-Year-Old Boy In Bontoc, Mt. Province Stabbed To Death By A Still Unknown Assailant

Many people in Bontoc, the capital town of Mt. Province, are in a state of mourning. In the morning of April 10 (Friday), a young son of the town was attacked, stabbed, and murdered. At the very young age of 13 years, the chance to live a full life was suddenly snatched away from Bryden Faniswa Crisostomo. It's even more tragic given the fact that the assailant is still unknown.

The young Crisostomo reportedly just graduated from the 6th grade. The question that a lot of people want to ask is why would anyone commit such unimaginable atrocity to a child. What did the boy do or didn't do to attract such violence?

Needless to say, justice must be sought. Whoever committed the crime is out there? He/She may still be in Bontoc. He/She may have packed his/her bags and fled. Either way, justice will only be achieved when this criminal is brought before the law and made to take responsibility for the young life he/she cut off.

That said, people out there who may have some information related to the case are encouraged to divulge what they know to the authorities. Never underestimate the value of what you know, even if it's a hunch or a perceived hearsay. A small bit of information can be the piece that cracks the case. The police investigators assigned to the case need all the information they can gather to find the perpetrator or perpetrators. You can find the hotline numbers of police offices in the Cordillera region on the PRO-COR website here. You can also contact the Bontoc Municipal Police Station on their Facebook page here.

Image credit: Echoes of Wisdom via Facebook.

This latest incident in Bontoc is even more saddening because the town is still reeling from the dark image painted by the Stefene Galidan case. In said case, five Bontoc policemen were tagged in the death of Galidan (then a 19-year-old student at the Mt. Province State Polytechnic College or MPSPC).

The established story is that on November 4 last year, Galidan and a couple of companions were accosted by members of the Bontoc police during curfew hours. While being brought to a police precinct, Galidan allegedly jumped off the police car, hurting himself in the process. The student died later after being brought to a local hospital.