Sereno calls on police to 'swiftly' probe Zambo City judge slay

Admitting that the judiciary lacks resources to protect its members from lawless violence, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Friday called on law enforcement agencies to get to the bottom of the killing of a Zamboanga City judge.

Sereno expressed her "deepest outrage" over the killing of Judge Reynerio Estacio of the Zamboanga City Regional Trial Court Branch 14.

The judge died from four gunshot wounds during the attack Friday at around 8 a.m.  while he was leaving his house with his wife, who emerged unscathed in the attack.

"Unfortunately, the judiciary has no resources to combat such lawless violence on our own and we have to rely on the efforts of the law enforcement officers to investigate and bring justice to those who killed Judge Estacio," said Sereno.

"I am asking the law enforcement offices to act swiftly in getting to the bottom of this incident and to hold the person or persons accountable for this criminal act," she said.

Also, she said she has already directed the executive judge of Zamboanga to come up with an initial report on the incident within the day.

The executive judge has also been tasked to closely monitor police investigation on the killing and provide whatever assistance and support that the victim's family would need.

"In order that judges may continue to be fearless and undaunted in discharging their duties of fairly, impartially and swiftly dispensing justice, they must be insulated from the violence that comes from the clash of arms," she said.

"The law must speak and speak loudly so that the arms are silence, inter leges silent armas," Sereno adde.

The killing happened a day after Deputy Assistant State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon was assaulted by a newly convicted kidnapper inside a Quezon City court room on Thursday.

Fadullon sustained a wound on his neck after being hit by the handcuffs of the convict who had tried to tackle him.

After the incident, the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) sought a report on it from the executive judge of the Quezon City RTC.

Both the OCA and the National Prosecution Service, through its head Claro Arellano, had said the incident could have been avoided had court security measures been strictly followed at that time.

Estacio is the latest name to be added on a growing list of judges being killed over the years.

In April 2012, an assassin shot Kabankalan, Negros Occidental Judge Henry Arles thrice while he was driving home in Ilog town.

In January 2011, Ilocos Norte Judge Fredelito Pingao's bloodied body was discovered by his driver inside his house in Gaang village in Currimao town, with the victim's neck slashed.

In October 2010, 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 the victim was the 21st judge to be killed since 1999.

In May 2010, unidentified gunmen shot Judge Andres Cipriano of Aparri town dead while he was heading for his boardinghouse in Cagayan province. He succumbed to at least two gunshot wounds in the body. — LBG, GMA News