EDITORIAL - Violence on the rise

Like journalists, legal professionals are favorite targets of assassinations in this country. Jack Turqueza was both: he was a newspaper reporter and radio broadcaster before becoming the administrative officer of the provincial prosecutor’s office in Abra.

Turqueza, 47, was driving his motorcycle the other night in Tuguegarao City when a man on another motorcycle pulled up and shot him in the head and chest. Turqueza died at the scene. Police are still trying to determine if the murder was connected to Turqueza’s work as a government lawyer or when he was a journalist.

Like left-leaning activists and media workers, legal professionals have also expressed concern in recent years for their personal safety. Judges are not spared, with organized crime rings targeting them for unfavorable rulings.

Armed attacks typically escalate when elections approach. Aside from resorting to murder to permanently eliminate rivals, politicians target critical journalists as well as prosecutors and judges who are deemed to be favoring certain candidates. Almost every week all over the country in recent months, there have also been reports of government officials or their aides being ambushed.

In Metro Manila, rising criminality led to the replacement of four of the five police district chiefs. Similar moves may be useful for other parts of the country where violent crimes are on the rise. Public safety officials must demand better performance from the police.
With elections approaching, Abra is likely to be included in a list of hot spots where violence is expected. A speedy and credible solution of Turqueza’s murder, with the killer arrested and prosecuted, is the best way to discourage more violence in the province.