GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 23 September) — Despite pouring rain on Sunday, September 21, hundreds of resimdents ran through the streets of Glan, Sarangani, to honor Adrian Wenceslao Herasta, a 17-year-old senior high school student who, earlier that week, was stabbed on his way home from jogging and died in the hospital.
The community’s “Run for Adrian” began at the Glan Fountain area in Barangay Poblacion at 4:30 p.m., organized by the local running group TTG Stamina Stompers.
Participants wore white shirts and carried placards calling for justice. Donations collected during the run were given to Herasta family.
“This isn’t a race. It’s a tribute. We run not just in memory of Adrian, but also to stand with his loved ones and help support his family during this time,” the organizers posted on their Facebook page.
Herasta, a Grade 12 student at the Glan School of Arts and Trades (GSAT), was attacked on the way home from jogging in Barangay Ilaya around 6:30 p.m. on September 17.
He sought help at a nearby bakery but later died in the hospital.
Friends and teachers remembered him as a disciplined student who supported his siblings after the death of their parents.
Therese Noreen Ravanes, a student from GSAT and childhood friend of Adrian, told MindaNews on Monday that the run also inspired other students to express their grief and solidarity.
“Adrian was a good friend and very kind to everyone, including my family. I joined the ‘Run for Adrian’ to show respect, demand justice, and honor his memory,” she said.
The event, she said, reminded her that even though Herasta is gone, his impact and inspiration continue to live on in the people he touched.
Candles are lit in front of a tarpaulin demanding justice for 17-year old Adrian Herasta on a small bridge near Purok San Antonio in Glan, Sarangani, where he was fatally stabbed. Photo courtesy of Eajay Gabrielle Asilo Omadlao
In a September 18 Facebook post, the Department of Education (DepEd)–Division of Sarangani condemned the killing.
“No child deserves to have their life cut short, most especially one who carried dreams not only for himself but for his family and community,” DepEd wrote.
The Glan Municipal Police Station (MPS), in a September 20 Facebook post, said the suspects linked to Adrian Herasta’s killing have been taken into custody.
A 19-year-old suspect, identified only by the alias “Cari,” was arrested on September 19 in Purok Lovesville, Barangay Calabanit.
The remaining suspects were apprehended later that night, around 11:30 p.m., in Purok Riverside, Barangay Poblacion, after one of them confessed to being present during the stabbing and identified the others.
Authorities said all suspects are now facing appropriate charges. MindaNews reached out to the Glan MPS to confirm their identities, but the station has not responded as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Organizers said the run was both a tribute and a call for accountability.
They hope it will inspire more initiatives to support Adrian’s family and protect Glan’s young people. (Guia Rebollido / MindaNews)
