Sharon Dacera lost her daughter and she’s looking for answers. Before we dive into this awkward conversation, it’s very important to remember this. Her political affiliation is irrelevant. The fact that she’s not crying 24/7 is irrelevant. Whatever bizarre actions we might attribute to her is (you got it) irrelevant.
Having said that, we could use that as reason enough to answer why we don’t even need to compare Sharon Dacera to Thelma Chiong and call it a day. But to do so would be a disservice to both of them and to their departed children. So, at the risk of ruffling feathers, it’s time we came to terms with why it’s pointless to even compare one to the other.
8. People process grief differently.
So yes, for those of us who believe that the ones in prison for the murder of the Chiong sisters were, in reality, innocent, it’s easy to draw the parallels between Thelma’s quest to keep supposedly innocent people behind bars and now, Sharon Dacera’s outcry for blood. But that’s how grief works. You’re not expected to make sense.
7. The Chiong sister’s case is radically different.
First of all, Thelma Chiong had friends in high places, being connected all the way to former Chief Justice Hilario Davide himself. Sharon Dacera doesn’t have anywhere near the same power or influence, so while they seem to be fighting for the same thing, the circumstances behind them are not.
6. The worst things about both cases are beyond their control.
In 2019, the GCTA program allowed the alleged killers of Thelma Chiong’s daughter (excluding Paco, who remains in Spain) to get out on good behavior. Since then, all of them surrendered and returned to prison after their releases were rescinded by the president.
On the other hand, the investigation into Christine Dacera’s death is, to put it mildly, murky at best.
These circumstances are out of their control, and any parallels between them are immaterial.
5. There is so much more baggage to Thelma Chiong.
Thelma Chiong is a known quantity by now, over two decades in. Sharon Dacera doesn’t have nearly the same amount of baggage, so to compare the two to each other is exceedingly unfair to Sharon. We’ve formed very strong opinions about Thelma Chiong based on consistent behavior over the years, vs. what? A couple of press appearances by Sharon?
4. They need sympathy and empathy, not a how-to-guide on grieving.
For Pete’s sake, let them grieve. Yes, even Thelma Chiong, considering 2019 really opened up some fresh wounds thanks to the GCTA program. Pitting them against each other, or judging them to be horrible people based on how they respond to perhaps the worst moment of their lives is incredibly unfair.
3. Let’s assume they’re the same. Now what?
Okay. Let’s assume the worst, and that they’re as bad as each other? Now what? Does that mean we stop trying to find out what really happened to Christine Dacera and if we bothered to reopen it, the Chiong sisters? The fact of the matter is, this whole comparison thing is such a pointless distraction that it serves little to no purpose.
2. Let’s assume they’re not the same. Now what?
Same thing happens, right? What’s worse is that we painted one of them in a horrible light all because they don’t conform with what we think grieving should be. It’s the height of insensitivity because, at the end of the day, it’s not us who lost a daughter here. It’s Sharon Dacera.
1. Let’s not forget the most important thing here.
Ultimately, the most important thing to realize is that no parent should ever have to bury their own children. Having your kids taken from you the way it happened to Thelma Chiong and Sharon Dacera has affected both of them in ways we can never truly fathom. Even they, who practically went through the same ordeal, came out of their respective ordeals differently, showing that all of us could never know how we’d handle tragedy until it actually happens.
To judge them based on that is simply the height of callousness. We can never truly put ourselves in their shoes, and the least we could do is to have empathy for them, which would go a longer way than comparing them to each other.
What do you think of the Sharon Dacera and Thelma Chiong comparisons? Sound off in the comments.
