Palace: Full force of law vs Batocabe’s killers
Malacañang has assured that the full force of the law will be applied in going after the killers of AkoBicol Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his police escort during a giftgiving activity in Daraga, Albay over the weekend.
In a related development, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo called out opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan for disrespecting AkoBicol Partylist Representative Rodel Batocabe's memory by politicizing the latter's death.
Panelo rued that Pangilinan linked Batocabe's death to the ‘daily killings’ under President Duterte's bloody war on drugs.
No letup vs killers
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary (PCOO) Martin Andanar said the Philippine National Police (PNP) will work on the case until the killers and the masterminds are placed behind bars.
Chief Insp. Luis Calubaquib, spokesman of the Albay provincial police command, disclosed that “persons of interest” have already been identified by probers.
Colleagues mourn
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles joined his former colleagues in the House of Representatives in mourning the death of Batocabe.
Nograles was a member of the Lower House before joining the Duterte Cabinet.
Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Barbers said Batocabe was a very capable vice chairman of his House committee.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, in a statement Friday night, said he lost a colleague, a friend and supporter’, while also urging the police to solve the spate of killings in the country.
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Monday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to take action against the continued killing of lawyers following the murder of Batocabe, who was a lawyer.
Aside from Batocabe, the IBP said 35 lawyers have been killed since June 2016.
‘Disrespectful’
In his statement on Christmas Eve, Panelo slammed Pangilinan for making such gesture, describing the lawmaker as disrespectful for making the tragic situation a vessel to attack the administration.
"The political opposition is running out of issues to the point that its members are running berserk in their accusation against the President," Panelo said Monday.
"The remarks of Senator Francis Pangilinan not only are intellectually challenged but infinitely reckless as well," he added.
"Obviously, it is an attempt at gaining political mileage to boost the chances of its senatorial candidates. Using the death of Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe for such purpose however is a blatant disrespect to his memory," he continued.
According to Panelo, it is unfair for Pangilinan to make such accusations, noting that the Palace denounces the senseless killing of the partylist solon. (With reports from Vanne Elaine Terrazola, Ben Rosario, Ellson Quismorio, and Jeffrey Damicog)