April 26, 2024 - A 14-year-old student, Jacquilene Reponte, was tragically killed in her home in Barangay Cansojong, Talisay City, Cebu, while studying on Friday, April 26, 2024.
According to reports, an unidentified individual entered the rented home around 9:40 a.m. and shot Reponte in the head. The bullet entered her cheek and exited on the other side. The assailant quickly fled the scene.
Reponte was rushed to the Cebu South Medical Center in Talisay City, where she was pronounced dead by the attending physician.
The Talisay City Police Station has launched an investigation into the incident. Police Lieutenant Colonel Epraem Paguyod, the chief of the station, stated that they have a person of interest but declined to provide further details at this time.
Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, the regional director of the Department of Education (DepEd-7), condemned the brutal act. “It is heartbreaking to hear of such senseless violence, especially against a young student who was simply pursuing her education,” he said in an interview with CDN Digital.
Jimenez urged the police to apprehend the perpetrator swiftly. “We push the police to catch the gunmen,” he said, expressing his deep concern for the future of the child and the impact of such a heinous crime.
The Department of Education Central Visayas also announced that it would look into the incident.
The motive behind the crime remains unclear, and the investigation is ongoing. The police are pursuing the perpetrators and have identified several persons of interest.