MANILA, Philippines— A year has passed and the wounds have healed but Lordei Hina, the UP political science student assaulted on campus a year ago, is still recuperating.

It was on February 1 last year that Lordei Camille Anjuli Hina was rushed to the Capitol Medical Center after she was stabbed several times in the head in an apparent robbery attempt.

Dan Mar Vicencio, one of the accused, was caught by the guard-on-duty and the UP Diliman Police a few minutes after Lordei was found unconscious. He posted a P16,000-bail in October and his whereabouts are unknown.

Lordei survived and awoke after being comatose and eventually got discharged from the hospital on May 5, 2012 – roughly after 3 months of confinement. 

Not the same 

While Lordei is already out of immediate danger, she has yet to undergo long-term rehabilitation to fully recover her motor skills, speech and recognition.

Fortunately, she has graduated from using the wheel chair. She can now walk around with little or no support at all. Her nurses even joke that Lordei sometimes tries to run away from them whenever she is feeling playful. However, her right arm remains paralyzed. A brace is attached to her arm to control her reflex motions. 

“Ang kulang na lang talaga ay memory (What’s lacking now is really just her memory),” Connie Hina, Lordei’s mother, said in an interview with Rappler.  Lordei recognizes family and friends but her recollection doesn’t sustain for long. Aside from recognizing people, she also finds it challenging to remember things about school (e.g., course, college, college friends).

According to her mother, Lordei’s intermittent memory and occasional tantrums are results of the damage done to her hypothalamus from the attack.

Financial need

Aside from the recovery of her daughter, Connie said that her major concern now is money. “Sana may dumating na tulong pampinansyal.” (I hope financial help comes.)

The unpaid hospital bills and Lordei’s monthly rehabilitation has already accumulated to almost P2 million, save for the institutional donations and discounts from doctors the family has received.

The expenses have taken their toll on the Hina family. “Dati hindi ako nangungutang, ngayon hindi na pwedeng hindi manghiram (I am not used to borrowing money, but now it has become a necessity),” Connie shared.

Last December, Lordei was also forced to temporarily discontinue her rehabilitation sessions, which cost from P80,000 to P100,000 a month.

Robbery with frustrated homicide

The first hearing of the trial is scheduled 9 days from now, on February 11. 

According to Krissy Conti, coordinator of the case, their major goal as of the moment is to upgrade the case from robbery with the use of force to robbery with frustrated homicide.

The case is currently handled by private lawyer Eric Mesoga. The appointment of a private attorney is a result of the disengagement of the Diliman Legal Office (DLO) from the criminal case.

According to Conti, the disengagement was caused by a combination of factors. One of the reasons cited by Conti is that, in terms of legal matters, “the DLO hasn’t been very proactive because they are not used to prosecuting criminal cases.” Being mainly an institutional office, the DLO is used to prosecuting administrative cases.

The disengagement of the DLO and the break of institutional ties from Lordei’s case have been disheartening for the Hinas. 

Despite these hurdles, Connie remains determined. “Tuloy pa rin tayo sa pagkakamit ng hustisya sa nangyari kay Lordei (We are still set to seek justice for what happened to Lordei).”

A string of fund-raising events for Lordei is currently underway. On Friday, February 1, an interfaith mass for Lordei was held at the UP Sunken Garden Grandstand. A fun run, cultural night, and battle of the bands have also been scheduled for the month of February. – Rappler.com