Rub-out or shootout, Tañada wants to know

Deputy House Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III. PHOTO BY RYAN LEAGOGO

MANILA, Philippines—Was the recent shooting incident in Atimonan, Quezon, a rub-out or a shootout?

This is what Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III wants to know, urging the authorities to ensure that the investigation on the case is “immediate and thorough.”

“We have to establish whether or not it is a rub-out or a shoot-out. At the moment, the only fact that is incontrovertible is that there are 13 people dead and one wounded. Loss of lives should not happen anywhere, especially in my district, where people choose to live in peace,” said Tañada, who represents the fourth district of Quezon province.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report on Tuesday said that the clash between the authorities and criminals may have been caused by the rivalry between syndicates operating the illegal numbers game “jueteng” in the area. It quoted relatives of the alleged criminals as saying that those slain were victims of a rubout.

“There are claims and counter-claims. I am not pre-judging the incident nor taking sides but clearly, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered, the sequence and actual events that transpired,” he added.