SCHOOL teacher Benharl Capote Kahil was so endeared to his young arts students and various groups who knew him as a valuable citizen that the cry for justice overflowed following his brutal death last Saturday evening in Sultan Kudarat.
“We stand in solidarity with the Capote and Kahil families in the collective condemnation of the crime against humanity and in the clamor for justice,” said a statement from the Lebak Legislated National High School faculty and staff.
“All of us were shocked about the abhorrent killing of sir Benharl who was known to many as a good, peace-loving, and friendly teacher and a person. His demise is a big loss to the academic community,” the LLNHS staff said.
The award-winning cartoonist and special program in the arts coordinator of the Lebak Legislated National High School were on his way home riding his scooter when unidentified gunmen ambushed him along a barangay road.
He died on the spot of multiple bullet wounds to his head and to the different parts of his body.
“It’s quite puzzling because he’s a good citizen and had no known enemy in the community. We keep on investigating the case,” said Lieutenant Colonel Julius Malcontento, Lebak town police chief, of the 27-year-old Kahil, single, and called by many LLNHS students as their favorite teacher.
In a statement to the press, Col. Jean Fajardo, PNP spokesperson for Region 12, said that they already have a person of interest in the gruesome killing.
“It could be a personal motive, but we're not discounting the possibility that it could be work-related. The investigators are looking at all angles,” Fajardo said.
According to the Movement Against Disinformation (MAD), which strongly condemned the cold-blooded murder, Kahil’s advocacy against disinformation and for critiquing social injustices through his visual arts “had exposed him to red-tagging which culminated in his brutal death.”
The Philippine Artisan Visayan, through its spokesperson Jude Angelo Gonzaga, said the incident was alarming as it would be the fifth journalist-related murder this year since the Percy Mabasa killing last October 3.
“A resource person, illustrator and mentor, a school paper adviser, and a layout artist of the Kaban SK Team, his death might have taken him away quickly but his love, contribution, and memories will live forever in our (hearts),” said the Department of Education-Division of Sultan Kudarat in extending their condolences to Kahil's family.
The Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), an ecumenical youth group, has demanded justice for Kahil and for the state to do its share in upending the worsening culture of impunity in the country.
“The killing of Kahil and the worsening culture of impunity sends a message that those who stand for truth are under continuous threat,” said Kej Andres, SCMP national spokesperson.
Andres has been urging all Filipinos to seek justice for Kahil and all the victims of the human rights violations in the Philippines.
“Those with God-given talents must not cower, but must use their skills in journalism and cartooning to inspire many citizens to take action,” Andres said.
