2 FEMALE STUDENTS FOUND DEAD IN TAGUIG SCHOOL

TWO teenage female school girls on Friday night were found dead in an office of the Signal Village National High School in Taguig City.

Mary Nicole Picar, 15, a Grade 10 student, and Irish Sheen Manalo, 13, a Grade 8 student, were found hanging, with a rope tied around their neck, to a steel grill in the Girl Scout office on the third floor of the school’s Magsaysay Building at past 10 p.m. on Friday.

A 16-year-old student told police that she last saw the girls at around 7:45 p.m. of the same day.

According to the witness, the victims told her they were about to head home.

The witness learned through a Messenger group chat that the victims never got home. She said she searched for the victims and found their lifeless bodies. She immediately reported the gruesome find to the guards on duty at the school.

In a Facebook post, Rhea Manalo, sought help to find the truth behind the death of her cousin.

“Our family is asking and begging for your help – to all the classmates, teachers, and friends of Irish Sheen Manalo… come forward and tell the truth,” the post read.

Rhea alleged that the police removed the girls’ bodies without the scene being examined by police Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) personnel.

She said she believes that her cousin’s death was not a suicide.

Rhea urged the city government to investigate the incident.

According to Rhea, Irish Sheen was an honor student and a member of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines.

“My cousin was an honor student and part of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. She’s at Grade 8, Gold Section. She would not dare kill herself. We are still waiting for the autopsy results as of this post,” Rhea said.

Police have yet to release information on the possible motive behind the victims’ deaths.

The Department of Education expressed its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims.

“The DepEd fully commits to cooperate with the Taguig PNP regarding the matter and is committed towards the swift and expeditious conduct of the ongoing investigation,” the DepEd statement read

The Taguig City government also issued a statement saying: “The city of Taguig mourns the loss of two high school students found lifeless at Signal Village National High School on Friday night.”

“Our deepest sympathies go out to their grieving families. The city government assures the grieving families of its full support as they struggle to comprehend the inexplicable misfortune,” the statement read.

Mayor Lani Cayetano has instructed authorities to conduct a thorough investigation that would shed light on the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.

“We kindly request the public to avoid sharing unverified information on social media that may only hurt the feelings of the bereaved families,” the city government said.