MANILA – Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday said his office will await the result of the initial investigation on the killing of a lawyer in South Cotabato.
“As part of standard procedure, the DOJ (Department of Justice) will await the report of local police investigators and evaluate whether the killing falls under the jurisdiction of the Inter-Agency Committee on EJKs (extrajudicial killings),” Guevarra told newsmen.
Lawyer Juan Macababbad was shot by three gunmen in front of his house in Surallah, South Cotabato on Wednesday. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.
Macababbad, 68, who once ran for vice mayor in the town, was reportedly receiving death threats shortly before the attacks.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has ordered the Police Regional Office 12 (Soccsksargen) to investigate the incident.
Eleazar, in a statement, said he has also ordered the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management to check on the status of other cases of killings, where the victims are members of the legal profession. (PNA)
