What could be worse than celebrating women's month with a 25-year-old
pregnant woman brutally killed allegedly by her ex-lover?
I think it is timely to share the story of my province mate in Bicol, whose
decomposing body was found last March 17 in her apartment in Las Piñas City.
Her name was Ara Calinao, a teacher at the Montessori School in Manila. She
was five months pregnant and was supposed to get married in April, barely
a month after her body was found dead, wrapped in a blanket, inside her
apartment.
I personally knew her since she was small. Her parents were my teachers when
I was in grade school and high school. As far as I know, she was also my
brother's ex-girlfriend.
Ara may not be the well-loved person in our province because of her being
out-going and as some described her as a 'wild' person. When I finished
high school and left the province to study here in Manila, I never heard
much of her. A few years later, I learned that she also went to Manila to
pursue teaching. That was all I heard about her until one morning when my
best friend texted me and informed me about this incident.
I did not want to hear the details of her death. It was enough to hear that a
woman as young as her, not to mention the five-month-old baby in her
womb, could be killed mercilessly inside her home.
It struck me that this thing could also happen to me. I also live
practically by myself and I don't know if could still continue to stay in
my rented house in the coming months. I become paranoid. But I was not the
only one who gets frightened by her death. My sister, who also lives alone,
starts to fear for her life and my sister's friend too, who was also raised
in our province. Or maybe some other independent women there who've heard
the news on TV. By the way, Ara's death was reported by GMA-7 and ABS-CBN.
I mourn the death of Ara Calinao. I share the agony of her family. Above
all, I grieve the loss of respect for women in our country. I told my
friend once, "Indeed, women are less stronger than men". I realized that
women, even if we refuse to admit it, can be easily overpowered by men. And
that's the sad fact.
So I was a little baffled when I was asked to write an article about the
women's month celebration. I asked myself, "Is there a reason to celebrate
this occasion?"
