“Why can’t these killings stop?”
Liberal Party (LP) official Erin Tañada asked this on Thursday in light of the murder of lawyer Ben Ramos, the counsel of the farmers killed in Sagay, Negros Occidental.
READ: Human rights lawyer shot dead in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental
Ramos, the 34th lawyer killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte (24th excluding judges and prosecutors, and 8th in the Visayas), was shot dead in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on Tuesday night.
READ: 24 lawyers killed in two years, 15 of which still unresolved—NUPL data
“Why can’t these killings stop? When will we start giving value to life and justice? Where is the government, the supposed enforcer of laws? I thought this administration promised law and order, particularly for the poor. Why are the defenders of the poor and the powerless are the ones being killed?” Tañada said in a statement.
Ramos was the secretary-general of the National Union of People’s Lawyer (NUPL) in Negros Occidental and was a human rights defender who took on pro bono cases representing some of the most marginalized sectors in the Philippines including the “Mabinay 6,” and the “Sagay 9 massacre” cases.
Tañada said Ramos’ death should serve as an “eye-opener” that people “need to stand up for justice.”
“This is a clear act of cowardice by people who use their power to realize their selfish interests,” he added. /muf
RELATED STORIES:
Lawyer’s group slams killing of founding member in Negros Occidental
Rights group condemns killing of NUPL lawyer in Negros