Kian’s, and several other victim’s stories inspired Philippine-born US-based author, Randy Ribay, in composing his latest work, Patron Saints of Nothing.įrom being teenage victims of the Drug War, Jun’s and Kian’s lives diverge. Inevitably, Kian became the poster child for insurgents who have long been voicing their opposition against the notorious drug war. It reached the highest level of irony when policeman shot a young teenager, Kian De Los Santos, dead, citing that he resisted arrest, or in local parlance, “nanlaban.” CCTV footages, however, tell a different story – Kian was indiscriminately shot whilst pleading. But as one person after another turns dead after dark, the drug war drew the ire of the world, especially amongst human rights advocates. Promising to solve the country’s drug problem in six months, he has earned the admiration of his countrymen. Rodrigo Duterte’s populist campaign against illegal drug skyrocketed him to the highest position in the Philippines. I suppose we just go on and do the best we can and try to do more good than bad using our time in Earth.” ~ Randy Ribay, Patron Saints of Nothing We all have the terrible and amazing power to hurt and help, to harm and heal. Or perhaps this trip is to apply balm on a wound of guilt that made Jay seething? As the ubiquitous phrase goes, truth is stranger than fiction. To uncover the truth and to restore some semblance of dignity to his fallen cousin’s memory, Jay flew to the Philippines. Adding insult to the injury is Jun’s family’s reluctance to talk about it openly. Jay remembered Jun as soft and kind-hearted, an old soul that would one never accuse of being involved in any illicit trade.
Jay’s memory of his same-aged cousin was in stark dichotomy to the fate that befell him.
Just when he planned to spend his spring break playing video games with his best friend, he learned that his cousin Jun fell prey to President Duterte’s infamous campaign against illegal drugs. Jay’s gently sailing life would soon be rocked by a devastating news from the Philippines. But with his senior high school graduation looming, it is imperative to pursue a lucrative college course in a prominent university just like his older brother Chris. He lived the typical American teenage life – the predictable cycle of home, video games, school with some distraction on the side. Born in a progressive middle-class home, his future was cast in stone. Seventeen-year old Jason “Jay” Reguero’s family migrated from the Philippines to fulfill the proverbial American Dream.
It was Jay’s favorite letter, chosen from a pile of letters he received from Jun but never found the time to respond to. Nothing I guess,” introspects Jun in his letter to his favorite cousin Jay who was residing in Michigan, United States. “ In all seriousness, I don’t know what saint I would be.
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