Sen. JV Ejercito. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has urged the Philippine National Police to expedite the solving of the killing of a provincial health officer in an ambush in Cavite last Tuesday.
“I condemn this gruesome murder of a man whose work is dedicated to curing the sick. I call on the police to investigate this thoroughly and hunt and arrest the killers,” Ejercito said in a statement on Thursday.
Dr. George Repique, who served as Cavite’s health officer for the last seven years, had just finished his hospital duty in General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital when he was ambushed and killed by an undetermined number of gunmen.
The senator, who is also chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said that police should leave “no stone unturned” in investigating the case that will lead to the “identification and the arrest of the doctor’s killers.”
READ: Cavite health officer shot dead
Ejercito cited initial reports that claimed gunmen opened fire at the doctor’s car in Barangay Luciano in Trece Martires City at around 8:30 last Tuesday night.
The doctor died while being treated at a local hospital while his driver, Riorito Jose Bacasa, was hit in the leg.
“Whatever the motive may be, whether it’s work-related or personal matter, we still don’t know. But the most important thing at this point is to identify the gunmen and arrest them at the quickest possible time,” said the senator.
“Sana naman, ang kasong ito ay ‘di madagdag sa mga unsolved cases na inaalikabok na lang sa file ng pulisya (I hope that this case won’t be added to the unsolved cases which are just gathering dust in the police files),” he added. Airei Kim Guanga, INQUIRER.net trainee/JE