3 motives eyed in Ilocos Norte judge's killing

(Updated 11:09 a.m.) Authorities are pursuing at least three angles behind the gruesome death of a judge whose body was found in his house in Ilocos Norte province early Wednesday, a police official said Thursday. He was the third judge killed in northern Luzon since last year. A culture of impunity has made the Philippines one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a judge, journalist, or activist. In a radio interview, Ilocos regional police director Chief Superintendent Franklin Bucayu also said police are questioning at least two people who might be able to shed light on the killing of Judge Fredelito Pingao. “Ito ay maaring pinagplanuhang gawin against the late Judge Pingao ng grupong di lang siguro ito nag-iisa, grupo sila na merong tinatagong galit o hinanakit sa kanya," Bucayu said in an interview on dzBB radio. (We believe several people were behind this, and that this was planned. Maybe they are a group of people that has a grudge against the judge.) Possible motives He said the first possible motive involves a land dispute where the late judge may have “used his influence to win the case." A second possible motive could be work-related and involved a “very sensitive" issue, he said. The third possible motive could a "personal" matter, he added. For now, he said they are questioning at least two people who he said may shed light on the case. He hinted another two people may be invited for questioning. "I was informed that we are to invite two more people who may eventually be considered as suspects, but who can shed light on the incident," he said. Pingao’s body was discovered by his driver inside his house in Gaang village in Currimao town early Wednesday, lying in a pool of blood, with the neck slashed. Pingao was judge of the Laoag City Regional Trial Court Branch 1 and of the 3rd Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Vintar. Investigators suspect the judge may have been killed several hours before his body was discovered, as victim's remains were already stiff. The dzBB report quoted the judge’s relative as saying he lived alone in the house. Culture of impunity In October last year, Vigan Regional Trial Court Branch 20 Judge Reynaldo Lacasandile was waylaid in Tagudin town in Ilocos Sur as he was about to go to Vigan City. At the time, police said Lacasandile was the 21st judge to be killed since 1999. Senior Superintendent Christopher Laxa, deputy for operations of the PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said that 21 killings, only eight cases have been filed in court. The cases remain pending as of October 2010, he said. In May last year, unidentified gunmen shot dead a judge while he was heading for his boardinghouse in Cagayan province. Judge Andres Cipriano of Aparri town succumbed to at least two gunshot wounds in the body and died instantly. (See: Report: Judge shot dead in Cagayan province) International groups have condemned the culture of impunity in the Philippines, where journalists, activists, and human rights advocates had become targets. However, rarely has public attention been focused on the violence against judges. In 2008, Philippine investigative news organization Newsbreak received the European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Prize for its piece that looked into the murders of 44 judges in recent years. The story indicated that "the judiciary does not have enough money to assign bodyguards to the 3,000 judges" and "only the chief justice enjoys a security detail." The article quoted then Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban as saying: "How can judges give justice to the people when they themselves are victims of injustice?" — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV