Another lawyer attacked in Zamboanga del Norte
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) urged the Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a transparent and impartial probe into the attempted killing of another lawyer, this time in Zamboanga del Norte.
The official organization of lawyers in the country on Saturday condemned the attack on Eustaquio Dennis Reyes, an incident which it called a “grave affront to justice” and a reminder of the urgency to establish reforms to protect legal professionals.
According to the group’s chapter in Zamboanga del Norte, Reyes was on board a Toyota Hilux on Oct. 14 with his wife when unidentified assailants attacked him. The attack on Reyes came nearly a month after Palawan-based lawyer Joshua Lavega Adrian was shot and killed in Puerto Princesa.
According to the IBP national office, the recent incident reinforced the organization’s ongoing initiatives to create a National Security Framework for lawyers, with the help of the Department of Justice, Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies.
“An attack on one lawyer is an attack on all who uphold the law … When the law and its defenders are threatened, we must stand resolute, united and unafraid so that justice never falls silent,” the IBP added.
