Still no justice for Stephanie Nicole Ella almost a year after her death

Almost a year after seven-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella was killed by a stray bullet on New Year's Eve, charges have yet to be filed against anyone and her family is still waiting for justice.

"Hanggang ngayon, wala pa rin. Masakit sa loob, kaya lang kailangan natin maghintay pa rin," Stephanie's father Aquilino Ella Jr. said in a "24 Oras" report Wednesday.

The family has since moved to Las Piñas from Caloocan City, where a stray bullet hit Stephanie while she was watching fireworks outside their home on December 31, 2012.

She died a little over a day later.

Several suspects have been arrested for Ella's death, but none has faced criminal charges for the incident.

A year after they lost Stephanie, the Ella family welcomed a new member: Clarice Nicole, who her mother said looks a lot like Stephanie.

"Kapag naalala mo, si Nicole pala ito. Medyo magkahawig po silang dalawa," the girls' mother Elaine Ella said in the report.

Elaine said the family will stay indoors in the upcoming New Year revelry. "Minsan na kami mawalan. Ayaw na namin maulit 'yun," she said.

Philippine National Police (PNP) information chief senior superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said the investigation into Stephanie's death is still ongoing.

"We are still continuing the investigation so this is not a closed case," he said in the report.

"Our chief [director general Alan Purisima] has directed through the regional offices all police men assigned with the barangays to identify 'yung mga madadalas na magpaputok ng baril," Sindac added.

"They are now listing down the names. This is one possible deterrent," he added.

Just this Monday,  a 23-year-old man from Yolanda-hit Ormoc City became the first victim of a stray bullet in the days leading up to 2014, Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said.

In a separate "24 Oras" report, Flordeliza Pacquiao was hit in the thigh by a stray bullet on Christmas Eve in Cagayan de Oro. She was rushed to the hospital and has been declared in stable condition.

The suspects, who were supposedly in a riot when the shooting happened, escaped, the police said.

The number of stray bullet victims has been declining steadily since 2010. The figure went down to 25 at the end of 2012 from 29 in 2011, and 39 in 2010.

Even so, Stephanie's father pleaded for gun owners to stow away their firearms in the upcoming New Year.

"Sana huli na si Nicole. 'Yun lang naman panalangin namin, na kung tinamaan si Nicole, sana wala nang sumunod," he said. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/BM, GMA News