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Senators condemn murder of businessman Dominic Sytin


Senators on Thursday vowed to put an end to the culture of impunity as they condemned the killing of businessman and philanthropist Dominic Sytin.

Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said they will be filing a resolution on Monday asking the Philippine National Police to use the full force of the law to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We condemn the killing of Dominic. The senators committed last night to file a resolution to urge the PNP to fully investigate this and catch the perpetrators. In our Viber chat group, we have a vibrant discussion on how we should put a stop in the culture of impunity,” Zubiri said during Kapihan sa Senado.

Sytin was shot dead in front of a hotel in Subic Freeport Zone late Wednesday night.

Zubiri said that the senators, many of whom are friends of Sytin, want the PNP to have more police presence, just as there is during APEC and ASEAN events in the country, and during the recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We saw police presence everywhere and nakita natin walang krimen, so police presence is very important. Why can’t we do it permanently?” Zubiri said.

He added that the PNP should actively convince local government units and establishments to install high-definition closed-circuit television cameras.

“In fairness to the PNP, bumaba ang petty crimes, they’ve done a good job. Pero marami pa ring heinous crimes tulad ng pagpatay ng mga pulitiko, and we have to expect this dahil papasok na tayo sa election season na mas maraming mamamatay. PNP should determine hotspots, magdagdag ng tropa, magkaroon ng 24-hour surveillance, high visibility para magkaroon ng deterrent,” he said.

In a post on his Twitter account, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito condemned Sytin's murder.

“I condemn the killing of businessman Dominic Sytin, whom I personally know as a very good and decent man.  He has no known enemies. This cowardly act of violence against a good man is really deplorable,” he said.

 

 

Senator Richard Gordon said Sytin was highly regarded in the Subic Freeport Zone, having been one of its pillars.

“I condemn, in the strongest sense of the word, the killing of businessman Dominic Sytin outside the Lighthouse Hotel inside the Subic Freeport Zone last night. Sytin was shot dead by an unidentified motorcycle-riding gunman,” he said.

According to Gordon, Sytin was the founder and chief executive officer of United Auctioneers Inc., an industrial auction company based in freeport zone. He was also a part-owner of the ACEA Subic Bay resort.

“This vile deed, committed through treachery, should not be countenanced. Hence, I am urging the authorities to resolve this case with dispatch and immediately bring to justice the perpetrators,” he said.

Gordon added that the Philippine Red Cross mourns the death of Sytin, “a man who had strong humanitarian values. Dominic was a supporter of the Red Cross.”

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto described Sytin as a silent worker for Philippine progress.

“His niche was not in fancy cars that ferry people from point A to B, but in vehicles which move the economy forward. He made heavy equipment affordable to the small businessman, the countryside trader, to the promdi farmer, and to local governments,” he said in a press statement.

He said if roads are being paved, goods hauled, earth moved, buildings erected, farms modernized, water canals dug in many places today, Sytin surely played a big role in making these happen.

“His was the classic story of guts and grit. He inherited neither great wealth nor a famous name. Far from being discouraged, he harnessed these handicaps to fuel his dream. And with a good head on his shoulders, which is matched by a good heart, he and his brothers were able to grow their business portfolio, adding a P2 billion car assembly plant in Clark, resorts, and one of the country’s biggest chemical companies,” he said.

Recto said that Sytin's dreams "will not die with him."

“He was a good friend to me, as he was to many others, from all walks of life, in all parts of the country.  He was a UP double business major who was a source of brilliant ideas.  His death must be given justice, and his works honored,” he said. — BM, GMA News

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