Tara Santelices, jeepney robbery victim, passes away

Antonia Marina "Tara" Santelices, the jeepney robbery victim who was shot in the head almost a year ago, passed away on Monday. "Tara passed away at 4 a.m. today due to cardiac arrest," her mother, Anne, said in a text message to GMA News’ Arnold Clavio. Santelices was shot on her 23rd birthday last August 6 while she was on board a jeepney passing through Imelda Avenue in Cainta, Rizal. After being in comatose for five months, she was taken out of the intensive care unit as doctors said she no longer needed a respirator to breathe. She was subsequently brought home while private nurses attended to her. Last February, Santelices’ family and friends sought financial help to pay for hospital bills that reportedly reached P1.8 million. GMA’s Unang Hirit reported that Santelices was brought to the Medical City in Pasig City last Saturday because she caught an infection. She died on Monday. Who is Tara Santelices? 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. [See: Holdup victim fighting for life] Her friends described her as an active person with a heart for the environment and an artistic flair. "She’s a very well-rounded person who is active in a lot of involvements," Tara's mother told GMANews.TV last year. "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. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV