Lawyer shot dead in Palawan

A lawyer was shot dead in Palawan on Tuesday morning, police said.

Eric Jay Magcamit, 35, was driving along the national highway in Barangay Malinao, Narra, Palawan when two unidentified persons made him step down his car, shot him, then fled, according to a report from the town police.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines - Palawan Chapter said Magcamit was on his way to a hearing in Quezon, Palawan.

"It is our consistent stand that violence has no place in this civilized society, especially against those in the legal profession who are courageously helping in the administration of justice," the IBP chapter said in a statement.

"This tragic incident is not only an attack to a member of the IBP but also an attack to the legal order and justice system by means of fear and violence. The perpetrators must be swiftly brought into the hands of the law by those in authority," the group said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he will order the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to assist the local police if necessary.

The Palawan Provincial Police Office, meanwhile, said it has dash cam footage of the two male suspects. Authorities are also searching for other CCTVs in the crime scene.

Initial probe stated that Magcamit had informed his wife that he was being followed by a certain vehicle on several occasions.

Police said the strongest motive for the killing could be work-related.

More than 50 lawyers, judges, and prosecutors have been killed since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016. Before Magcamit, the last reported incident was the killing of Manila Judge Maria Teresa Abadilla by her own clerk of court last week.

The clerk of court, lawyer Amador Rebato, Jr., also died in what police said was a suicide.— with Anna Felicia Bajo/AOL/RSJ, GMA News