DAVAO CITY — The mother of Bree Jonson has made an appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte through daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte to look into their celebrated case.
Salome “Sally” Jonson believes the present government has every reason to check on their case, noting that the president has long been known to have taken a tough stance against illegal drugs.
As Bree’s remains lay in state here, Mayor Duterte stated on her local radio program that any resident of the city can avail of the funeral assistance from the “Lingap Para sa Mahirap” program.
While Sally expressed her appreciation on the offer, the distraught mother wanted a more significant form of assistance.
“We don’t need any form of assistance. But please tell Mayor Sara to tell her father to do something on Julian Ongpin because this is not just our fight, this is also his fight, the war on drugs,” said Sally who is based in Canada but traces her roots here.
Bree was laid to rest Wednesday afternoon, September 29, 11 days after she was found unconscious by police inside a hostel room in San Juan, La Union that she occupied with Julian Roberto Ongpin.
She was taken to a hospital but was declared dead. Ongpin is the son of businessman and former trade minister Roberto Ongpin. He was ordered released by the prosecutors. Reports said that 12.6 grams of cocaine were found inside their hostel room.
In one of his Palace virtual pressers, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was asked if Duterte was aware of the circumstances surrounding the death of the 30-year-old Jonson.
"Yes and he has instructed the criminal justice system of the country to accord the victim justice," Roque said.
Meantime, Sally chided anew the Philippine National Police (PNP) with the way it is handling the case of the late visual artist.
Sally claimed that the police are allegedly not acting on their filing of a motion for reconsideration on the release of Ongpin.
The elder Jonson said their family handed the motion for reconsideration to a senior police officer a few days ago.
"It's so frustrating," she lamented in an interview with local reporters.
During the burial, the Sally bade an emotional farewell to her only daughter before her casket was lowered at the Davao Memorial Park around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
“I will miss your voice, your face Trixie,” cried the elder Jonson beside the casket as family members and friends gathered from a distance.
The late artist’s family and close friends fondly call her Trixie, whose real name is Breanna Patricia Jonson Agunod.