BREAK: Judge dead in La Union ambush

MANILA, Philippines — A regional trial court judge was declared dead on arrival after being ambushed in La Union on Tuesday afternoon.

Judge Mario Anacleto Bañez, 54, was on board a vehicle and was on his way home when still unidentified assailant shot him in Barangay Mameltac in the City of San Fernando around 5:40 p.m.

Bañez was rushed to Lorma Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Police authorities are still searching for the suspect who immediately fled the scene after committing the crime.

The motive behind the crime is still being investigated.

Bañez served as a judge of Tagudin Regional Trial Court Branch 25 in Ilocos Sur.

Records show that he is the fifth judge who was shot dead under the Duterte administration.

In July, Senator Leila De Lima called for the investigation on the deaths of lawyers, prosecutors, and judges.

Several international lawyers and groups have also previously called on Duterte to investigate the killings of lawyers and jurists in the country, saying that 41 lawyers and prosecutors were killed between July 2016 to September 2019.