PNP intensifies manhunt for Basilan judge’s killers
The Philippine National Police on Friday said that it intensified the manhunt for the two gunmen behind the killing of Basilan Regional Trial Court Presiding Judge Joseph Wee Sit, who was gunned down by two unidentified men early Thursday in Zamboanga City.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. condemned the death of the regional judge and vowed to exhaust all resources to arrest the suspects involved.
“An attack on any member of the judiciary is an assault on the very institution that upholds justice and the rule of law,” Nartatez stressed in a statement.
He added: “We will leave no stone unturned in pursuing those responsible. We will exhaust all available resources to ensure their arrest and hold them accountable for this senseless crime,” he added.
The 38-year-old magistrate was reportedly traveling along Tumaga-Putik Road in Barangay Tumaga, Zamboanga City when he was ambushed by two men riding a white motorcycle. Wee Sit was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later.
Investigators said the gunmen escaped toward the Tumaga bypass road.
According to an initial report issued by the PNP, the victim sustained six bullet wounds.
“Rest assured that we will protect the safety and security of the members of the court to enable them to promulgate decisions without any fear,” Nartatez said.
The Philippine Trial Judges League Inc. (PTJLI) strongly condemned Wee Sit’s killing, calling on law enforcement agencies to launch an immediate, impartial investigation and urging all three branches of government to overhaul security protocols for members of the bench.
“An assault against the life of a sitting judge is not merely an assault on an individual; rather, it is a direct, cowardly attack on the independence of the judiciary, the administration of justice, and the very foundations of our democratic society,” the group said.
“Judges must be able to discharge their constitutional mandate without fear of reprisal, intimidation, or violence,” it added.
Security protocols
PTJLI also called on the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Judiciary Marshals (OJM) to swiftly track down and prosecute both the gunmen and the masterminds behind the attack.
They also appealed to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to collaborate on strengthening institutional safeguards.
“We also urge all three branches of the government to immediately review and strengthen existing security protocols for members of the bench, whose lives are constantly under surveillance and threat by lawless elements who seek to subvert our judges’ personal safety and security,” the PTJLI stated.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda echoed the call for protection, confirming that the high court, through the OJM, is working closely with law enforcement to identify the perpetrators.
A group of Muslim magistrates also strongly condemned the fatal ambush.
In a separate statement, the Philippine Muslim Judges Association (PMJA) expressed its “profound sorrow” over the killing of Wee Sit.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this heinous act of violence against a member of the Judiciary,” the PMJA said.
The group extended its condolences to the slain magistrate’s wife, Judge Kal Kausar Kadil-Wee Sit, presiding judge of the 5th Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Bongao–Languyan in Tawi-Tawi, as well as to their bereaved family.
The PMJA demanded a “swift and impartial investigation” and the immediate prosecution of the perpetrators behind the attack.
While the frequency of killings targeting members of the legal profession declined following a change in administration, fatal attacks persisted.
Monitoring by international and local legal groups—including the Asian Lawyers Network and the Free Legal Assistance Group (Flag) recorded at least three lawyers killed during the first two years of the Marcos Jr. administration between July 2022 and early 2024.
Wee Sit is the highest-profile death during this period.
Data from Flag, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers and joint reports submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council showed that more than 50 to 61 lawyers, prosecutors, and judges were killed between July 2016 and early 2021.
