I’ve actually been meaning to blog about something else, but I got an email from Marc Macalua this morning which I think is more important. His email told the sad story of Norberto Roxas, a man who lost his eye due to extreme cruelty and violence.

Roxas came from an underprivileged family who took up the job in the fishing industry upon graduating from JRI Orion. If his family only had the means, he would have had a better career. In one unfortunate accident, Roxas had an encounter with a tricycle and damaged a foot. But that wasn’t the worse.

The worse tragedy came on his way home from work, when a group of cruel men assaulted him and beat him mercilessly. His eye exploded when his face was hit. He didn’t have “friends in the high places,” so instead of being immediately given medical attention, he was taken to the police station for interrogation (yes, he was the one interrogated instead of his assailants). We would never know what could have been done if the doctors got to him sooner. He already lost an eye.

Now, an elderly Roxas is surviving on his aging mother’s meager pension. His prospect of an independent income is bleak, considering his physical disabilities and the trauma left by the injustice and cruelty of the men who beat him mercilessly.

His old classmates from JRI Orion have already contacted GMA7’s Wish ko lang program, and have yet to hear from them. And now, they’re appealing to us bloggers to help spread the word about Roxas’ plight and maybe (just maybe), reach somebody who can get the man an artificial eye and help him start a business so he can have his own income.

I have never mentioned this before, but adolescent violence had also been the source of my sister’s Schizophrenia. I don’t want to go into details (I hope you understand, the details are still a bit painful to talk about), but when I find out about tragedies like this, I can’t help but feel sympathetic. Traumatic experiences like my sister’s and Roxas’ change the victims’ lives, and their families. Some are lucky (like my sister) to get medical attention, but some are not. We’re not rich (her medicines take up 85% of our income), but at least we manage to get by somehow.

You can help by spreading the word about his plight.