Gangsters, rebels and politicians are not the only ones who think murder is the best means to an end in this country. Last Friday morning, the head of a profitable private electric cooperative was gunned down as he was getting out of a van for a board meeting in Currimao, Ilocos Norte. Lorenzo Rey Ruiz, president of the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, did not reach the hospital alive. His driver pursued the gunmen as they fled, killing one of them. At least two others escaped on a motorcycle. Police tagged the slain gunman as a hired assassin.
Killing comes easy and life is cheap in this predominantly Catholic, democratic land. In many parts of the country, it’s not the rule of law but the rule of the gun that prevails – and how easy it is to obtain guns, despite tough gun laws. Militant activists are murdered or kidnapped, never to be seen again. People think it is easier to permanently silence journalists than to engage them in debates on their opinions or reports. Politicians ensure their election by murdering their rivals. Yesterday gunmen murdered the parish priest of Catubig, Northern Samar. Fr. Cecilio Lucero is the brother of former Northern Samar Rep. Wilmar Lucero. A high profile does not guarantee protection from harm; just ask the heirs of publicist Salvador Dacer.
This culture of violence has persisted a decade into the 21st century because too many people are still getting away, literally, with murder. Occasionally, perpetrators are brought to justice, such as in the case of Dacer, or the murder of Abra’s Luis Bersamin Jr. in a church compound in 2006, for which his political rival Vicente Valera was arrested last week.
But these are cases involving prominent individuals with the means to pursue justice. And even in these cases, it took a long time before principal suspects were indicted. If people still continue to believe they can get away with murder in this country, it is because in fact they can.
Too many murders, especially those attributed to state forces or prominent politicians, remain unsolved. The government is unable even to effectively enforce gun laws, partly because many of those who maintain private armies or refuse to give up their guns are influential politicians. As the murder of Ruiz shows, the culture of violence spills over into civilian life, with goals attained and scores settled at gunpoint.