CHR urges gov’t to protect lawyers after Batangas lawyer’s killing

LUCENA CITY––The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has asked the government to protect lawyers and agents of the law in the country after the killing of Batangas lawyer Reginald Michael Manito.

Lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia, CHR spokesperson, said the agency strongly denounced the latest killing of another member of the legal profession in the country.

“There have been numerous attacks against lawyers in recent years, which contribute to a hostile and fearful environment for those working to pursue justice,” De Guia noted.

De Guia reiterated their “repeated plea to the government to ensure greater protection of lawyers and all agents of law to enable them to do their duty without fear of retaliation.”

“Similarly, tighter security measures must be implemented during this fragile period of election season,” she said in a statement posted on Feb. 19 on the CHR Facebook page.

A candidate for councilor in Sto. Tomas, Manito was shot dead on Feb. 16 inside his office in the city by two still-unidentified men. The police are still investigating the incident to establish the motive behind the killing and unmask the killers.

Last month, Senator Richard Gordon lambasted what he said is the culture of impunity in the country, saying it has claimed the lives of 115 lawyers, judges, and prosecutors since 1972, of which 67 transpired during the last five years under the Duterte administration.

De Guia stressed that “the violence can be deterred by exacting justice on each case that violates the utmost right to life.”

“We call on the local authorities in Batangas to exert all efforts to guarantee accountability,” De Guia said.

De Guia said CHR Region IV-A is conducting an independent probe on the killing of Manito.

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