TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines?The family of a priest who was killed in Northern Samar nearly a month ago is seeking the help of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in their quest for justice.

Former Representative Wilmar Lucero, eldest brother of the slain priest Fr. Cecilio Lucero, said investigations had been conducted separately by the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation but until now there had been no results yet.

?The family is appealing to President Gloria Arroyo to please order the proper authority to speed up the investigation of the brutal murder of Fr. Cecilio Lucero,? he said.

?This is now the 27th day from the time Fr. Cecilio Lucero was murdered last September 6. Until now, the government, the authorities have not yet arrested any suspect and up to now the family is waiting that justice be given to Father Cecilio,? former Representative Lucero said in an interview on Friday night in Tacloban City.

Father Lucero was driving his car at around 8:30 a.m. when he was killed in an ambush reportedly by some 30 bonnet-wearing armed men in the village of Layuhan in San Jose town, Northern Samar.

One of the priest?s companions, Isidro Miras, was wounded while his policeman-escort was not hurt.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, National Secretariat of Social Action, and the bishops and priests in Samar Island, among many others, have condemned the killing of Father Lucero.

According to his brother, he received a call from the victim on the eve of his death, telling him that he (Father Lucero) had a heated argument two days earlier with the commander of the Army detachment in Catubig town in the presence of the brigade commander at the convento (priest?s residence). Father Lucero was the parish priest of Catubig.

The former lawmaker said his brother, an advocate of human rights and chairman of the Catarman Diocese?s human rights committee, was then discussing with the military officers about alleged military abuses in another Northern Samar town where a civilian was killed while some other civilians were abducted.

The military in Eastern Visayas also condemned the killing of Father Lucero, saying his death was ?a great loss not only to the military but also to the Northern Samar parishioners. He was a constant partner of the military because human rights and peace which were his advocacies are aligned with the military mission.?

The former lawmaker disclosed that their family also had some suspects in the killing of his brother but they would leave it to the authorities to come up with the official investigation.

He bewailed, however, that because of the slow pace of investigation, some of the suspects who should have been summoned were already nowhere to be found.

He said the NBI official tasked with investigating the killing of his brother recently left for Manila. ?I don?t know his findings,? he added.

The police earlier reported that based on testimonies of witnesses, they could make a police artist?s sketch of at least six of the suspects. But until now the sketches have not been released.

?What we are waiting for now?the family, the priests, the clergy, the diocese, the people?is the results of the investigations,? he said.

Father Lucero was buried on September 14, coinciding with the 22nd anniversary of his ordination. It was attended by all the bishops and about 60 priests in the dioceses on Samar Island.