Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Sunday said he would direct the Task Force on Extra-Judicial Killings to conduct its own probe on the killing of a 73-year-old lawyer if there would be indications that his death was related to his advocacy.
“If there are any indications that the murder of Atty. (Bayani) Dalangin had anything to do with any of his advocacy, I will direct the inter-agency Administrative Order 35 Task Force on EJK to conduct its own investigation,” Guevarra said in a text message.
The Philippine National Police is currently investigating the death of Dalangin, who was repeatedly shot by a lone gunman Friday evening in front of his client inside his office in Barangay Poblacion in Nueva Ecija.
Guevarra said the DOJ will only join the investigation if Dalangin’s death is shown to be connected to his work.
Guevarra heads the inter-agency committee on EJKs, enforced disappearances, torture and other grave violations to the rights to life, liberty, and security of persons.
Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Nueva Ecija Chapter head Wilson Chua condemned the killing, saying Dalangin’s murder “was not only an attack against a member of the Philippine Bar, it is also an attack against the legal order and justice system.”
Dalangin is the 48th lawyer killed since President Rodrigo Duterte, himself a lawyer, took office in 2016.