Holdup victim fighting for life

MANILA, Philippines - Antonia Marina “Tara" Santelices was described as an active and well-rounded person with a heart for the environment and an artistic flair. Many believed she has a promising future ahead of her. But now, Tara - dressed in a hospital gown and wearing a thick bandage around her head - is fighting for her life on a hospital bed where she remains in a comatose for the eighth day since she was shot in the head during a hold-up incident in Cainta, Rizal last week. “She’s a very well-rounded person who is active in a lot of involvements," Tara's mother said. “She’s very artistic person. She is fond of reading books, she designs clothes and she performs with a band. At the same time, she is also an environmentalist," her friends added. A Political Science graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University, Santelices is an independent film director and a guitarist of music bands Saffron Speedway and Scarlet Tears - passions that she juggles with her work as a research head of a non-government organization. A robbery incident But Tara's future was instantly changed by a single violent incident last August 6. Santelices’ friend - who requested anonymity for security reasons - said Tara and her best friend Joyce "Joee" Mejias were on a jeepney and on the way home shortly past Tuesday midnight when they fell victim to a group of holduppers in Cainta, Rizal. Tara and her friend met at the Burger King branch along Marcos highway. From there, the two were supposed to move to another restaurant where they would celebrate Tara's birthday. Tara just turned 23. “Tara and Joee met at a fast food chain along Marcos Highway and from there they decided to eat somewhere since it was Tara ’s birthday," the friend said. “They rode an empty Ortigas Extension-bound jeep along Imelda Ave. and going there, dun na sumakay yung mga tao," she said. But Tara and Joee never got to where they were supposed to go. And there were not going to be any celebrations, either. Within minutes into the jeepney ride, a man - who sat beside Joee - took out a gun, declared a holdup, and pointed the gun to Tara. "Yung struggle lang was with their bags, pero hindi naman sobrang hilahan yung nangyari," Tara's friend recalled Joee as recalling what happened. After getting the passengers' bags, the holdupper got off the jeepney. But while he was getting off, he kept the gun trained at Tara. Unexpectedly, the gun went off as the suspect fled the scene. Tara was hit. “Joee was focusing on the gun when the man was getting off the jeepney. When the gun went off, she didn’t see who was hit. When she looked at Tara, siya na nga yung natamaan," she said. "High-risk" According to the friend, Mejias asked the jeepney driver to rush them to the nearest hospital. However, passengers were still getting on and off the jeepney on the way to the Arnaiz Clinic along Imelda Avenue. The clinic, however, didn’t have the facilities to aid Santelices so she was taken to the Amang Rodriguez Hospital, where her parents and Mejias’ parents followed. At around 8 a.m., Santelices was again transferred to the Medical City in Ortigas. After some examinations at the Medical City, doctors found shrapnels in Tara's brain, which doctors said would require a delicate surgery to remove. Doctors described the operation as "high-risk," saying it can even further endanger Tara's life. Not willing to take on that risk, Tara's parents decided not to go through with the surgery. “There are still shrapnels inside Tara ’s head. And may hernia na. It’s really a high-risk operation that might endanger Tara’s life more," the friend said. While police have released an artist sketch of the assailant, no arrests have been made. Sympathies and support To help raise funds for Tara's medical bills, her friends and former schoolmates have started a series of benefit gigs which will be running for the next two months. "Tara is a member of two bands, that’s why she knows people from the music scene," Santelices’ friend said. A bank account - under Anne Marie F. Santelices, Banco de Oro (savings account number 2140-062201) - was also set up to accommodate donations and other financial support for Tara. Tara’s mother said that their family did not expect the massive support from Tara’s friends. "Our family is overwhelmed with the support of Tara’s friends," Tara's mother said. But more importantly, activities aimed at helping Tara also serve to educate the public that such violent incidents continue to happen. "We want young people to be aware that these things happen. We want to prevent this from happening again," Tara's mother said. - GMANews.TV