Basilan judge shot dead in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A judge of a Basilan trial court was killed in an attack by two motorcycle-riding assailants in this city at dawn yesterday.

Judge Joseph Wee Sit of the Basilan Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 2 based in Isabela City died from six gunshot wounds in the body, according to Lt. Col. Shellamie Chang, spokesperson for the Zamboanga peninsula police.

Reports said Wee Sit had just left home in a Ford Explorer when he was killed at past 5 a.m. along Putik-Tumaga Road in Barangay Tumaga.

Investigation showed the assailants, who were tailing the victim, overtook the Explorer and fired several shots, hitting the driver’s side.

Wee Sit managed to continue driving before his vehicle crashed into an electric post by the roadside, probers said.

The assailants sped away. ponding members of the city police station 7 recovered from the crime scene eight bullet shells for a .45-caliber pistol and the victim’s vehicle, which bore bullet holes.

Probers said they would review footage of closed-circuit television cameras installed near the crime scene to identify the assailants.

Police are looking at the possibility that the killing was job-related, noting that Wee Sit was handling high-profile cases in Basilan.

P2 million reward for suspects’ arrest

Zamboanga Mayor Khymer Olaso offered a reward of P2 million for information that could lead to the arrest of the assailants.

Olaso announced the reward at a press briefing conducted several hours after reports about the incident spread.

The mayor said P1.5 million of the reward money would be sourced from his personal funds while the rest would be provided by a donor who requested anonymity.

Olaso expressed belief that the killing of Wee Sit, whom he described as a good judge, was job-related.

Persons of interest

As this developed, police said they have identified persons of interest in the killing of the judge after a motorcycle believed used by the assailants was found abandoned at the boundary of the villages of Cawit and Maasin.

Zamboanga peninsula police director Brig. Gen. Elmer Ragay activated a special investigation task group to look deeper into the incident.

A challenge to justice system

Basilan Gov. Mujiv Hataman expressed outrage and sadness as he condemned the killing of Wee Sit, who was supposed to turn 39 years old on Nov. 21.

“When a judge is killed because of his work, it is not only a life that is taken. It challenges the justice system and the ability of our courts to perform their duties without fear,” Hataman said.

The Supreme Court (SC) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) also condemned the attack.

The high tribunal said the murder of Wee Sit is a painful reminder of the dangers faced by those who serve the courts.

“No judge should have to fear for his life simply for doing his duty,” the SC said.

Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda ordered financial and other assistance extended to the family of Wee Sit.

The IBP said  the killing of the judge is a major blow not only to the judicial system but also to the very institution that dispenses justice.

IBP Western Mindanao governor Querino Esguerra called for a thorough investigation and immediate arrest of the killers. –  John Unson, Emmanuel Tupas, Mark Ernest Villeza, Ghio Ong