Lawmakers from both the upper and lower chamber of the Congress filed a resolution seeking an investigation into the string of vicious killings of lawyers, judges, journalists, and other civilians.
Resolution No. 600 filed by Senators Joel Villanueva, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Sherwin Gatchalian directs appropriate Senate committees to conduct an inquiry into these incidents that took lives of at least 15 people from in a span of months, from July to December this year.
“The series of killings in the past six months of at least fifteen people from members of various professions, including lawyers and journalists, and other members of the community, exacerbated by the fact that justice remains elusive for the victims and their families, highlight the need to launch an inquiry, in aid of legislation, to identify the gaps in law enforcement,” the resolution said.
The filing of the resolution happened as policeman Jonel Nuezca faces two counts of murder for shooting to death 52- year-old Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25, in Paniqui, Tarlac.
In the House of Representatives, the Makabayan bloc led the efforts to seek a probe into the killing of the Gregorios.
The unnumbered resolution filed on December 21 stressed the fact that the incident was not the first time a member of the police has killed unarmed civilians.
“It is imperative for members of Congress, as representatives of our people, to defend the rights of our people and check on excesses and violations committed against them, especially in this time of crisis,” the resolution said.
