Tacloban school shooting: Chris, 15, kind until the end

MANILA, Philippines – Chris Lorenz Fabian was a kind boy. On the morning of Monday, June 22, the 15-year-old student carried his younger sister on his lap as they went to his school.

Erbea Fabian watched her son care for his younger sister as they rode a small multicab to San Jose National High School in Tacloban City that morning. Chris also had a younger brother, whom he sometimes argued with.

“Maalaga po. ‘Yung kahit na napipikon na siya sa kapatid niya…never siyang nagbuhat ng kamay sa mga kapatid niya (He’s caring to his siblings. Even if he got irritated by them, he did not lay hands on his siblings),” Erbea told Rappler.

Call it a mother’s instinct, Erbea wanted to be with Chris that morning. As they arrived at the school, she told his eldest to go home immediately after classes.

Chris was generous, his mother said. He would give his money to those who needed it, even if it meant he would not have enough fare to get home. He would usually walk to their house.

In his mother’s eyes, Chris’ kindness extended even to those who made mistakes.

But June 22 would be Chris’ last day alive. The kind child met an unkind death. He was among those killed in a shooting inside their school. Two minors, aged 14 and 15, were arrested in connection with the attack.

Seen as a hero

Survivors and members of the community said that 15-year-old Chris showed bravery in the fatal school shooting that left him and two other students dead, while 20 others were wounded.

He was kind until the end.

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) posthumously awarded him to him the Gold Gallantry and Heroism Award for choosing selflessness and demonstrating a “rare, sublime heroism.”

“With unwavering courage and definitive resolve, he placed his own body directly in harm’s way, physically blocking the attackers to prevent their entry,” the BSP said in a resolution.

“[H]is split-second decision and resolute stand successfully shielded his teacher and classmates, absorbing the fatal assault and ultimately buying invaluable time that saved countless young lives from being taken,” it added.

One of Chris’ friends told his mother that the student was shot. He had been shot but was still alive. Even then, Erbea went hysterical. She said her body felt weak and stiff at the same time.

As she searched the school grounds, bits of information led her to believe that her son was dead. Later that day, her cellphone rang. Someone told her that her son was still alive and had been rushed to the hospital after being wounded.

They went to all nearby medical facilities. There was no record of him.

“Kaya pala walang mga records ‘yong mga bata kasi sila ‘yong nandun, silang dalawa yung nakadapa sa crime scene (That’s why the two children do not have records in the hospital because they were the two bodies lying on the floor in the crime scene),” Erbea said.

Erbea was referring to 15-year-old Joyancee Badoria Separa. The third victim, Ayessa Nicole Dazo, 14, was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. 

Justice, accountability

The 15-year-old student tagged in the shooting already faces murder complaints. The 14-year-old will undergo an intervention program. 

Erbea’s call for justice and accountability also extends to the relatives. She said they failed to keep their children from learning how to use a gun.

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“Nabubuhay pa, humihingi pa ang anak niyo. Napapakain niyo pa kung sakaling dinala na sila sa DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), may time mag-visit, makikita niyo. Samantala ‘yong sa amin, pag nalibing na, wala na,” she said.

(Your children are still living and breathing. Once brought to the DSWD, you can feed them when you visit, see them. But for us, once our children are buried, they are all gone.)

The Philippine National Police in Eastern Visayas has relieved a non-commissioned police officer after her firearm was used in the shooting; she was the aunt of one of the minors.

The last time Erbea touched her son was on Sunday night, June 21, when she applied medication to his skin to treat heat rash. Chris developed the heat rash after spending the afternoon playing basketball.

“Sana kiniss ko na siya. Kasi hindi siya nagpapaano ng kiss dahil binata na siya (I should have kissed him then. He doesn’t want to be kissed because he turned to a young man),” Erbea said.

Chris died at 15. How he might have shared his kindness in adulthood, no one will ever know. – with reports from Jazmin Bonifacio/Rappler.com