Manila prosecutors condemn fiscal’s slay

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Prosecutors’ League of Manila and their staff held a rally yesterday to condemn the murder of city chief inquest prosecutor Jovencio Senados.

Wearing black shirts and with lit candles in hand, the lawyers gathered along the corridor outside the city prosecutor’s office on the city hall’s third floor at around 10 a.m.

“We urge the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a thorough investigation, urgently solve this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice,” the group said in a statement.

The league said Senados’ killing is “not only an assault on a hardworking, brilliant and dedicated public servant who devoted decades of his life to public service but also an assault on the rule of law.”

Senados was ambushed along Quirino Avenue on his way to work on July 7.

The National Union of People’s Lawyers said more than 50 lawyers, prosecutors and judges have been killed in the country since 2016.

3 cars used

Capt. Henry Navarro, who heads the Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section, said investigators found there may have been at least three cars that tailed Senados’ vehicle from Laguna to Manila. The victim was a resident of Calamba, Laguna.

Navarro said they are trying to determine the escape route taken by the assailants, a task he described as tedious since investigators have to coordinate with every barangay to acquire closed-circuit television footage.

Lead investigator S/Sgt. Donald Panaligan said Senados’ family went to the MPD headquarters and received his personal belongings.