Gunmen kill priest in Nueva Ecija

Motorcycle-riding gunmen killed a parish priest in Jaen, Nueva Ecija on Monday night.

Superintendent Eliseo Tanding, director of the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office, identified the victim as Father Marcelito Paez, 72, a resident of Barangay Baloc, Santo Domingo town.

Human rights group Karapatan said Paez was the former parish priest in Guimba and coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in Central Luzon.

Tanding said Paez was on his way home on board a Toyota Innova when the gunmen shot him along the Jaen-Zaragoza Road in Sitio Sanggalang, Barangay Lambakin at around 7:30 p.m.

Paez died due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Police recovered several spent bullets of a .45 pistol from the crime scene.

Investigations are ongoing.

Karapatan said that earlier Monday, Paez assisted in facilitating the release of political prisoner Rommel Tucay who was detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Cabanatuan.

Killing condemned

The Diocese of San Jose, Nueva Ecija condemned Paez's killing.

"Kami ang kaparian ng Diyosesis ng San Jose, Nueva Ecija, kaisa ang mahal na obisypo ay mariin na kinukondena ang hindi makatarungan at marahas na pagpaslay kay Fr. Tito Paez," it said.

It said that Paez had retired in 2015.

While serving at the diocese, Paez was actively involved in the Church's human rights advocacy and a member of the social Action Commission, the diocese said.

Sought for comment on the incident, Armed Forces chief General Rey Leonardo Guerrero said they will investigate the incident.

"We have been confronted with these challenges in the past,  ang normal na reaction is to investigate and make sure na if indeed ‘yung government forces have been remiss or have been found violating human rights, we will make appropriate actions," Guerrero told reporters before attending the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting. — reports from Jun-Jun Sy and Amita Legaspi/ALG/RSJ, GMA News