Chief Justice says death of Manila judge 'big loss to judiciary'

Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta considered as a "big loss to the judiciary" the death of Judge Ma. Theresa Abadilla of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 45, who was killed, allegedly by her own clerk, inside her own office.

In a statement on Wednesday, Peralta said he personally knew the 44-year-old judge, whom the chief magistrate described as "upright and highly competent."

He said Abadilla worked at the Supreme Court as a law clerk for more than a decade before she became a judge. He offered his condolences to the judge's family, whom he said he knows "very well" because they are also from his province of Ilocos Norte.

Abadilla was shot by her clerk of court on Wednesday afternoon, police said. She was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead past 3 p.m.

The clerk of court, 42-year-old lawyer Amador Rebato, Jr., killed himself after shooting the judge and also died, police said.

Peralta said he has already directed Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez to "employ stricter measures to prevent incidents like these from happening again."

Retired chief justice Lucas Bersamin, for his part, said Abadilla was like family to him and his wife.

"She was a hardworking judge. Her death, which was senseless, diminishes us all," Bersamin said in a statement.

"I condole with the Abadilla family, and we pray that their profound grief over the tragedy be tempered by the thought that we share their irreparable loss," he added. -MDM, GMA News