Pia lauds hard stance vs. tax evaders, urges Aquino gov't
to also crack down on extrajudicial killings

"The Aquino administration took a strong first step towards addressing the budget deficit and improving government finances by moving to charge a suspected big-time tax evader. I just hope it displays the same seal and exert parallel efforts in going after perpetrators of unsolved murders of journalists and political activists."

"Like the ballooning budget deficit, the rash of extrajudicial killings is another dark legacy of the previous Arroyo regime which President Noynoy Aquino should confront head on, especially at this early stage of his term. His presidency is merely 2-1/2 weeks old, but already one journalist and three political activists, including a municipal councilor from Bayan Muna and two public school teachers affiliated with the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, have been slain as if to mock his authority."

" Government should not back down in pursuing justice even in cases where high officials in the police, military and civilian bureaucracy are being linked to the murders. Only the arrest and speedy prosecution of those responsible can put an end to this culture of impunity."