Bishop calls for gun ban reimposition after killing of rights lawyer

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya - Bishop Ramon Villena has called on authorities to reimpose the gun ban after a noted human rights lawyer was gunned down in this northern Philippine province. Ernesto Salunat, also a former governor of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-North Luzon, was shot on Tuesday morning by still unidentified gunmen who were reportedly waiting for him outside a court house in Solano town. Coming form a court room, the victim was about to board his car when he was shot from behind by two unidentified gunmen, reports said. He died from a fatal bullet wound in the nape and another from his left shoulder that exited through his face. Villena, the Bishop of the Diocese of Bayombong, has blamed the lifting of the gun ban for the incident. The Commission on Elections’ gun ban took effect on January 10, a move to stave off political violence before and during the national elections which took place last May 10. The ban was lifted on June 9. In an interview with Wilma Baliton over the local station of Radio Veritas, Villena said that post election violence has been evident in many places in the country with politically- motivated killings of certain individuals, including some journalists. Bishop condemns killing Villena also condemned the killing, saying that the slain lawyer’s death is a big loss to his Diocese which covers the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and neighboring Quirino province. “I vehemently and very strongly condemn the brutal, inhuman and horrible killing of a brilliant lawyer, as far as I know him, he stands for people who are exploited, oppressed, ejected from their lands or people," Villena said, adding that the killing could very well be the province’s crime event of the year. “I cannot forget one thing that Erning has done and that is to liberate Quirino, he was the top lawyer against the (former) terror of Quirino who is no other than former governor Orlando Dulay, who during the (1986) snap elections was instrumental in the killing of two people and other killings and was also involved in land grabbing cases," he said. Dulay is a known close ally of former President Ferdinand Marcos who was largely feared allegedly due to his brutal ways in managing Quirino province. He was ousted in the mid ‘80s and subsequently convicted for kidnapping and multiple murder charges. He died of heart attack in 2000 while detained at Muntinlupa Penitentiary. Salunat was the outspoken campaign manager of the local Liberal Party (LP) and has exposed alleged abuses and excesses of the province’s ruling political party during the campaign period. His murder came after a known LP supporter was gunned down near a police station in Bambang town four days after the May 10 elections. Another unsolved crime? The outspoken bishop feared that the crime committed might be archived as another unsolved case in the province owing to the recent killing in Bambang that he revealed seemed to have progressed slowly. “I had a talk with Provincial Director (Sr. Supt) Pedro Danguilan and I told him to please get to bottom of this (crime) because if this becomes another unsolved crime, then it will boomerang back to him," said Villena. He will also seek assistance from the Philippine National Police (PNP) top brass including Region 2 police director Chief Superintendent Benedict Fokno and PNP Chief, Director General Jesus Verzosa for the speedy resolution of the case. Police investigators say they have no concrete leads yet to the killing but they are looking into several angles that may have led to Salunat’s death including land dispute cases that he handles. — RJAB Jr./LBG, GMANews.TV