MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday lamented the “brazen” killing of Los Baños, Laguna mayor Caesar Perez, saying that his death, along with the cases of other public officials, should be a cause for concern.
READ: Los Baños mayor shot inside municipal hall, dies in hospital
In her weekly radio program “BISErbisyong Leni” over DZXL, she noted the spate of killings such as of Tanuan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili in 2018, and the shooting of a man inside a hospital in Angono, Rizal in November.
“Parang napaka-brazen na (It’s as if they’re brazen already),” Robredo said.
“Iyong mayor, ganiyan iyong nangyayari sa kaniya. Parang nano-normalize, nano-normalize iyong patayan (This mayor was simply shot dead. It’s as if the killing are being normalized),” she added.
Perez was shot dead by unidentified assailants inside the municipal hall in Los Baños on Thursday.
He was earlier included in the national government’s watchlist of government officials allegedly involved in the drug trade, but he had repeatedly denied the claim.
In 2017, Perez’s younger brother Ruel was also killed by two men who were aboard a motorcycle.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the murder of Perez.
Robredo, meanwhile, then showed concern regarding the killings, saying: “Bakit hinahayaang mangyari? Tapos iyong mga nangyari, may napanagot na ba?”
(Why is this being allowed to happen? Then with the killings, has someone been punished for it?)
The Vice President also showed concern for the state of impunity.
“Mas natatakot ako, mas natatakot ako sa impunity as a whole, na parang napakanormal na lang na mabalitaan natin na may mayor na pinatay, may judge na pinatay, may abogadong pinatay, may media man na pinatay,” she said.
(I am more scared of impunity as a whole, it’s as if it’s normal to hear that a mayor was killed, a judge was killed, a lawyer was killed, a media man was killed.)
“Bakit natin hinahayaan na ganoon? Sino ba iyong may responsibility na hanapin iyong perpetrators? Kasi sila iyong accountable diyan,” she added.
(Why do we let it happen? Who has the responsibility to search for the perpetrators? They are accountable for it.)