PRESS STATEMENT of the Family of the late FRANCIS XAVIER V. MANZANO

Thanks to the media person who sent me this statement to share with all of us. If you wish to share this with your family and friends, tell them to go to http://clearfx.blogspot.com/2005/12/press-statement-of-family-of-late.html


PRESS STATEMENT of the Family of the late FRANCIS XAVIER V. MANZANO
December 9, 2005

We are deeply pained and traumatized by the passing of our beloved youngest brother, Francis Xavier V. Manzano, under the most heinous of circumstances. Any death in a family is a cause for mourning; we, however, have greater reasons to mourn and grieve for Francis for the brutality that marked his death.

Our family is law-abiding and God-fearing; we were raised well by our parents and family members who inculcated in us high moral standards and values. We are also a very private family, with no desire to engage in public mudslinging with anyone. However, we believe that we owe it to our brother as well as to our late parents to not allow our name to be trampled upon and vilified without cause and without justification.

Francis has been described as a criminal and a carjacker by those who took his life. Francis, FX to us, was many things, but he was not a criminal, he was not a carjacker.

To his many friends, he was a kind-hearted and peace-loving person; to us, his family, he was a loving brother. We, who have known and taken care of him all his life, know him to be a person who abhorred violence and who was incapable of the acts he is now, in death, accused of having done.

This is why we have now come forward to break our peace.

We wish to say that we do not condemn the Philippine National Police as an institution. We are well aware that there are many men and women in uniform who serve with honor. However, we cannot turn a blind eye to the video footage of the killings as well as the testimonies of eyewitnesses that show beyond any doubt that those who killed Francis Xavier Manzano disregarded the rules of engagement and violated his fundamental human rights.

We believe in the rule of law. Francis was not accorded the rule of law. He was not a criminal, yet he was treated like the worst kind of criminal. He was never charged, tried, convicted or sentenced, yet he has already been executed.

After much reflection and prayer, the family agreed to cooperate with the Commission on Human Rights in its investigation. We acceded to their request to have the remains of Francis exhumed and his body re-examined by Dr. Raquel Del Rosario-Fortun, who had been commissioned by the CHR for this purpose. This was done on November 26-27, 2005 in Baguio City. We await her official report and findings which we are confident will bring us closer to the truth.

We wish to thank family members and friends who have condoled with us and supported us during this time of bereavement.

We acknowledge with gratitude UNTV and other witnesses who have bravely come forward to help shed light on the true circumstances of our brother’s death.

We thank the responsible members of the print and broadcast media for their objective and fair reporting and for respecting our privacy during this time of grief and mourning.

We thank, especially, the Commission on Human Rights, through the Honorable Chairperson Purificacion Quisumbing, for spearheading the independent investigation of this incident. We pray that the investigation may bear fruit and that justice may be done so that Francis may be able to truly rest peacefully.

Thank you very much and good day to all.