DOJ creates team to probe death of trade union leader

The Department of Justice. (Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has created a special investigating team (SIT) to look into the death of a leader of a trade union in Cavite, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said Monday.

Perete said that the team, upon the orders of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, would probe and lead the case build-up in the killing of Dennis Sequena, Vice Chairman of Partido Manggagawa (PM).

READ: Trade union leader shot dead in Cavite

“Administrative Order (AO) No. 35 mandates the use of the composite team approach in the investigation and prosecution of grave violation of human rights. Under this approach, law enforcement officers investigating a crime are placed under the supervision of public prosecutors,” Perete said in a statement.

“Such an approach is intended to achieve better prosecution outcomes and higher convictions rates in cases covered by the AO No. 35 mechanism,” Perete added.

Sequena was shot dead in Tanza town in Cavite by motorcycle-riding gunmen in the morning of June 2.

Following the incident, Sequena was taken to the General Trias Maternity and Pediatric Hospital in Cavite but died while undergoing treatment.

PM chairperson Rene Magtubo had tagged the killing as a premeditated “extrajudicial killing” as the suspects waited for Sequena to finish his lecture on trade unionism before he was shot dead.