Various sectors in the province including the Catholic Church and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) have condemned the murder of Atty. Mia Mascariñas-Green and have called for justice.
Newly installed Bishop Abet Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran called the killing of Green “barbaric†as he called for the “speedy and just†resolution of the case.
“As bishop & father of the people of God of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, I am deeply saddened by the horrific shooting and murder of Atty. Mascariñas-Green right in front of her poor children,†said Uy.
Uy also called for unity among Boholanos and for the perpetrators to realize “the evil that they committed†as he condemned the brutal killing of Green.
“In communion with the generally God-fearing People of Bohol, I most strongly condemn this barbaric act of killing. I enjoin everyone to pray for the speedy and just resolution of the case,†said Uy.
For his part, IBP-Bohol president Atty. Ted Lagang said that the organization has called on the Department of Justice to task the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe on the case.
The IBP has also declared February 17 as a day of mourning for Green who was gunned down on Wednesday by four assailants in Tagbilaran City.
All members of the organization’s chapter have been asked to wear black armbands to honor their fellow Boholano lawyer.
The Tagbilaran City Hall of Justice supported the cause and joined the day of mourning and protest.
On Saturday morning, employees of the Hall of Justice together with lawyers and people from various sectors marched through thoroughfares in Tagbilaran City until the Dampas Catholic Cemetery.
Meanwhile, Lagang lauded the swift identification of the alleged mastermind in the ambush and killing of Green and one of the suspected gunmen.
This was after Tagbilaran City police chief Supt. Nicomedes Olaivar tagged hotel operator Lloyd Lancer Gonzaga as the brains behind the attack and Romarico Benigian as one of the shooters.
Policemen also raided the hotel managed by Gonzaga in Panglao in the wee hours of Friday but the alleged gunmen who were reportedly inside the establishment were able to escape as operatives waited for the issuance of a search want. (Allen Doydora)