we have not forgotten

7 march 08: up sawa (student-led anti-hazing watch) and friends of cris mendez commemorated this afternoon what would have been cris' 21st birthday, had he not been a victim of senseless violence last august. it was a simple ceremony which began with a mass at ncpag and ended with a short program at the college of law, right at the very spot where his would-be brods would hang out.

cris' mother was there, coming all the way from quezon just to grace the ceremony. and just like any other birthday celebration, there was a cake with two candles marking what would've been his 21st year. in a month's time, cris would've graduated cum laude from the national college of public administration and governance, his friend onats said. konti na lang sana. sayang talaga.

it has been 6 months since cris died. nothing much has happened in the case; no criminal charges have even been filed. the suspects are still at large, and presumably in hiding.

until the suspects find the courage to be man enough to come out in the open, the sawa posters put it aptly: we have not forgotten. and we will never forget.