TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte — At least two suspects, who are minors, have been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of 19-year-old journalist Sophia Marie Coquilla here.
“Tulis or suko gyod kaayo sila grabe nganong 38 ka samad ang naangkon sa biktima. Kalooy unta puhon usa ni sa mga journalist sa Pilipinas,” Cagayan de Oro-based radio reporter Menzie Montes said of the grisly killing that shocked the Mindanao media community.
Coquilla, described by classmates and teachers as a potential and passionate campus journalist, died in the morning of July 9 when four alleged robbers broke into her home in Purok 3A, Barangay La Filipina, Tagum City, and committed the crime.
“Sophia Marie was a friend, a fellow campus journalist, and a family. She was responsible, passionate, and kind. She had dreams bigger than herself; dreams of writing stories that mattered, of being a voice for the voiceless, of creating change through words. And she was already doing that. At such a young age, she was already making a difference,” read a statement shared by La Filipina NHD-Special Program in Journalism in Tagum City.
“Praying madakpan 'ning mga nakasala,” said Chezter Coquilla, a relative in Cagayan de Oro who is a chess player and teacher at Corpus Christi.
Davao del Norte Police Provincial Director Col. Alexander R. Serrano Jr. vowed a speedy investigation as the manhunt for other suspects continues.
Serrano reassured the media that investigators are working tirelessly with Scene of the Crime Operatives and intelligence personnel to identify and arrest all perpetrators.
“All evidence is being processed and follow-up operations are already underway,” Serrano said.
