Samar 1st District Representative Edgar Mary Sarmiento wants the House of Representatives to investigate the death of his friend and ally, Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino. 

In House Resolution (HR) No. 1633, Sarmiento asked the House committee on public order and safety to probe what he has described as Aquino’s “senseless murder” by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Samar. 

Sarmiento filed HR 1633 on Tuesday, March 9, but gave reporters a copy only on Thursday, March 11. 

“It is not acceptable for killings to occur in a civilized society. It is even more impermissible when the members of our uniformed service are being accused of involvement in these heinous acts,” said Sarmiento.

Sarmiento said there are “doubts on whether the incident was a legitimate police investigation since the members of the uniformed service were not in their official uniform when it happened.”

“Morever, if it is indeed a special operation, there are also doubts on the reason or justification behind it,” he added.

Sarmiento also noted that a week before Aquino’s murder, two barangay chairmen were killed in the 1st District of Samar, also by unidentified assailants.

Aquino and 3 of his bodyguards were aboard a van in Barangay Lonoy in Calbayog when they were shot dead by assailants on Monday, March 8. Initial reports said the gunmen were riding motorcycles, but the police later clarified that assailants were inside another vehicle.

PNP chief General Debold Sinas said it was a “shootout,” but Sarmiento believed that the cops had “ambushed” Aquino.

The Samar congressman has also asked the National Bureau of Investigation to probe into Aquino’s killing, saying he did not expect that justice would be served if the PNP were to investigate the case. 

Aquino is the second mayor of Calbayog City to be murdered while in office in a span of a decade, after Reynaldo Uy who was killed in 2011. During the 2019 midterm election, at least 4 of Aquino’s supporters were killed in an ambush in the city.

Aquino’s murder happened just a day after the “Bloody Sunday” raids by the police and the military in Calabarzon, where at least 9 activists were killed and 6 others arrested. 

Vice President Leni Robredo has denounced Aquino’s death, saying the “kill, kill, kill” rhetoric under President Rodrigo Duterte has enabled the murder of Filipinos. 

Bishop Isabelo Abarquez of Calbayog, Samar, also condemned the murder of Aquino and his aides, and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.

Family seeks justice

The Aquino family called for justice for the slain mayor.

“Masakit sa amin ang tanggapin na binabaliktad nila ang totoong pangyayari.  Imposible po ang sinasabi nila na unang nagpaputok ang papa ko. Kasi ang dalawang security na nasa unahan – isa dito ay police at ang isa driver – sila ang unang tinamaan ng unang putok,” said Aquino’s son, Mark, referring to the police version of the incident.

(It’s painful for us to accept that they are trying to muddle what really happened. Their claim that my father fired a shot first is impossible because there were two security [aides] seated in front – one is a policeman, the other is a driver – and they were the ones who got shot first.)

“Meron po kaming mga witnesses na magpapatunay na una pong binangga nila ang van ni Papa, at meron dalawang sasakyan – isa pickup na Hilux at isang itim na Ford Everest kung saan nandoon ang mga armadong tao na may dalang high-powered firearms na siyang bumabaril kina Papa,” he added.

(We have witnesses who will prove that two vehicles – a Hilux pickup and a black Ford Everest – hit Papa’s van first. The vehicles transported the armed men with high-powered firearms who shot Papa.)

Mark added that based on the video taken by a witness, a cop allegedly approached the mayor’s vehicle after the ambush, opened fire, and then reportedly shouted that the mayor was dead.

“We want justice for my father,” Mark said, adding that his family is seeking the help of President Rodrigo Duterte to track down those responsible for the crime, as well as the killings of other people in Calbayog City.

The Calbayog City Public Information Office announced on its Facebook page that the public wake for Aquino will be held at the Calbayog City Sports Center from March 14 to 18. 

End ‘dirty war, death squads’

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto joined calls for an end to the “dirty war” and “death squads,” following recent attacks that targeted Aquino, a lawyer in Iloilo City, and activists.

“The dirty war should end and the death squads stopped if we want to spare our democracy from lasting damage that would take generations to fix. A weakened belief in the rule of law is not a legacy we would like to leave our children,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

“This epidemic of unsolved killings have rocked our people’s faith in our justice system. It is bleeding from a thousand wounds caused by assassins’ bullets,” he added.

He said such each killing or attack “strengthens the perception that justice is elusive and crime does pay” and would lead to a “mass erosion of faith in the rule of law.”

“What is happening on the ground is that killings done with impunity encourage and embolden copycats. Soon we will see the privatization of justice and the boom of the murder-for-hire industry. Bakit pa nga ba ihahabla, kung mas mabilis ang bala (Why bring this in court when the bullet can do the job faster)?” Recto said.

“That, I fear, is the greatest damage to society, and the greatest threat to our children’s future, where they will have to live in fear because the democratic guarantee of ‘justice for all’ is gone,” he added.

Recto stressed the importance of upholding the “diversity of ideas” in a democracy.

“Diversity of ideas is essential for democracy to function. Contrarian views result in better government policies. The opposition is needed as watchdogs against excesses. Life and liberty are precious. And activism is not terrorism,” he said.

Recto added: “When intolerance beckons, we should remind ourselves that the best way to defeat an idea is to kill it with a better one. Yes, government should fight with all its might against armed combatants. But in the peaceful contest of ideas, it is unfair for the state to bring guns to a policy fight.” – with a report from Jazmin Bonifacio/Rappler.com