Killing of Cavite prosecutor reminder of country's ‘horrible state of law’ —De Lima

The murder of Assistant City Prosecutor Edilberto Mendoza was a reminder of the lapses in the rule of law in the Philippines, Senator Leila de Lima said Tuesday.

In a dispatch from Camp Crame, the detained senator condemned the killing of Mendoza, adding that the culture of impunity continues even as the Duterte administration is  at its last year.

“I join the legal community in condemning the killing of Assistant City Prosecutor Edilberto Mendoza of Trece Martires, Cavite," De Lima said.

“As the end of the Duterte regime draws near, the culture of impunity that it has sown in the past 6 years of wanton disregard for human lives continues to wreak havoc on the lives of the people it once vowed to protect,” she added.

Likewise, de Lima called for justice for Mendoza, who was shot dead in front of his home in Cavite on December 31, 2021. 

“That the year ended with another cold-blooded killing of a lawyer is a grim reminder of the horrible state of the rule of law in our country. This simply should not be allowed to continue,” De Lima said.

“Lumalakas ang loob ng mga mamamatay-tao at nagpapatuloy ang ganitong mga brutal na krimen dahil sa kabila ng pagtaas ng mga kaso ng pamamaslang ay lantaran ang kawalan ng pananagutan," she added.

(Murderers are braver and these crimes will continue because amid the increase in killing incidents, there is no accountability.)

“Hindi ito dapat na ikamanhid o kasanayan na lang; ang paghahanap ng hustisya ay lalong hindi dapat ikatakot o isantabi lang, kundi dapat ipaglaban ng mga pamilya ng biktima at ng sambayanang naghahangad ng matiwasay at makatarungang lipunan,” De Lima also said.

(We should not ignore or just accept this. We should not be afraid of looking for justice, we should fight for a judicious and peaceful society.)—LDF, GMA News