SUMMARY
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Following the murders of two lawyers in Cebu in less than a month, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL encouraged others in the legal community towards more decisive action to protect lawyers.
“There needs to be decisive action. We need to close ranks and push back,” NUPL President Edre Olalia said in a statement.
“The duty to protect lawyers is not incumbent on our judiciary alone but even more mandatory and obligatory on the executive branch with its police, intelligence, investigative and prosecutory arms and vast powers,” he added.
The statement comes after the murder of lawyer Baby Maria Concepcion Landero-Ole, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Danao City on Thursday, December 17.
The NUPL’s Cebu chapter also called for an end to attacks on lawyers, paralegals and human rights defenders.
According to Rappler’s running list, Landero-Ole is the 54th lawyer, prosecutor, or judge killed during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.
On November 23, lawyer Joey Luis Wee was shot dead in broad daylight in front of his wife as he arrived at his Cebu City office.
“True enough, the spate of attacks against lawyers and paralegal workers have dramatically increased under Duterte’s regime,” NUPL Cebu said. “In Cebu, the murder of Atty. Landero-Ole is the third reported incident of attempted or actual killings involving lawyers in 2020,” they added.
In October, lawyer James Joseph was ambushed in Lapu-Lapu City, but survived the shooting.
Cebu Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Mac Hadjirasul said in a Facebook post that litigations are “emotional and create enemies for lawyers.” But he said to “dread the day the violent among those enemies come to feel it is easy to kill lawyers with impunity.”
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ Cebu City Chapter said that the IBP would not remain as “sitting ducks” while lawyers are being attacked.
“But let it be known that the IBP cannot remain as sitting ducks whilst our members are being killed in broad daylight,” they said.
“We must act against violence. We have to instill in the culture of the IBP to be ready always and protect ourselves – BE YOUR OWN BODYGUARD,” the organization added. “We need to know protocols of who to call or approach should danger arise. We need to spot “lurking shadows” and report them immediately.”
They acknowledged that reforms not only need to be made in government but “in the IBP” as well.
Former justice secretary and detained senator Leila de Lima condemned the murder in a letter dated Friday, December 18.
“The culture of killings and disregard for human life as sown by the Duterte regime continues to reap its grim toll almost daily,” De Lima said.
She added the Duterte regime “kills both by negligence and by intention simply because it does not care for the human lives lost in what has become for the Philippines a way of death instead of a way of life.” – Rappler.com
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