IBP offers P200,000 for info on Palawan lawyer’s slay

MANILA, Philippines — The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has offered P200,000 as reward for information that will lead to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the killers of lawyer Joshua Lavega Abrina.

Abrina was shot to death in front of his home in Puerto Princesa on Sept. 17. He was an administrative officer of the Philippine Ports Authority and a former legal counsel of the Department of Education.

“Violence against lawyers does not silence one voice alone. It chills advocacy, discourages the defense of the vulnerable and normalizes the notion that disputes are settled not in courtrooms, but at the barrel of a gun,” the IBP said.

Capt. Bryan Rayoso, Special Investigation Task Group Abrina spokesman, said the SITG has at least one person of interest, a man caught on closed-circuit TV camera walking near the crime scene.

“Some of the retrieved CCTV video footages are blurred… We need to enhance the footages with the help of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit,” Rayoso told The STAR.