Senators on Thursday slammed the “culture of impunity” in the country following the shooting to death of businessman Dominic Sytin, the founder and chief executive of United Auctioneers Inc., outside a hotel in Subic Wednesday night.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said he and other senators were devastated and shocked upon learning of the killing of Sytin, his “very, very good friend.”
Sytin sustained a gunshot wound in the head. His bodyguard was also shot and was taken to a hospital.
Witnesses said the gunman shot Sytin and his bodyguard and then casually walked back to a motorcycle that was being driven by an accomplice.
Zubiri said Senator Grace Poe was “almost in tears” when they talked over the phone.
He said he and his other colleagues in the Senate majority bloc had a vibrant and active discussion in a Viber group on how “we should put a stop to this culture of impunity.”
“Basta patayan na lang. Kung may galit ka sa isang tao, patayin mo na lang. Parang ganun ang nangyayari,” Zubiri said.
“We condemn the dastardly and heinous crime that was committed to businessman Dominic Sytin. We urge the PNP to use the full force of the law against these perpetrators, against these killers.”
Zubiri said among those who participated in the discussion were Senators Panfilo Lacson, Joel Villanueva, Richard Gordon, Gringo Honasan and Loren Legarda .
He said the Senate also agreed to file a resolution, to be signed by majority members, urging the PNP to fully investigate and catch Sytin’s killers.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said Sytin’s niche was not in fancy cars that ferry people from point A to B, but in vehicles that moved the economy forward.
He made heavy equipment affordable to the small businessman, the countryside trader, to the promdi farmer and to local governments.
“If roads are being paved, goods hauled, earth moved, buildings erected, farms modernized, water canals dug in many places today, he surely played a big role in making these happen,” Recto said.
“His was the classic story of guts and grit. He inherited neither great wealth nor a famous name. Far from being discouraged, he harnessed these handicaps to fuel his dream.”