ILOILO CITY—During his first State of the Nation Address four years ago, President Aquino assured justice for the murder of Fernando Baldomero, a councilor of Lezo town, Aklan province, and provincial chair of the partylist group Bayan Muna.
Until now, Baldomero’s family, friends and colleagues continue to wait for justice.
“We are losing hope of finding justice for my father under the present administration. Nothing has happened. No arrest has been made and no one has been made to answer for this crime,” said his son, Ernan.
A lone man shot dead Baldomero, a party mate of the President in the ruling Liberal Party, in front of his rented house in Kalibo town, Aklan, on July 5, 2010. The killer fled on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.
He was the first political activist murdered under the Aquino administration and his death came just four days after he assumed his second term of office as councilor.
Police filed a murder complaint on Aug. 3, 2010, against Dindo Ancero, of Barangay (village) Malingin in Bogo City, Cebu province, and several unidentified suspects.
The Kalibo Regional Trial Court Branch 2 issued a warrant of arrest against Ancero on Jan. 11, 2011, but the case was archived on Oct. 7, 2011, due to failure to arrest the suspect, according to records of the Office of the Regional State Prosecutor.
“Why cannot they even arrest the suspect? Who is the mastermind and why did they kill my father?” Ernan said.
“By all indications, there is no or not enough effort to bring my father’s killers to justice. His case is no different to the other victims of extrajudicial killings,” he added.
On Friday, Baldomero’s family, friends and colleagues started a series of protests to mark his fourth death anniversary and to continue demanding justice. Around 500 members of militant organizations, friends and his family held a memorial activity in front of the house. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas