KIKO PANGILINAN CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION TO ENSURE
SAFETY OF JUDGE TO TRY AMPATUANS

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan calls on all concerned government agencies to consider with utmost importance and urgency the safety and security of Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.

"We ask the PNP, the DILG, and the DOJ to give the matter their full attention. They should not wait until Judge Reyes calls for security; provide her some protection immediately."

According to the National Union of People's Lawyers, a total of 15 judges and 26 lawyers have been killed since 2001. Pangilinan says the high-profile case of the Ampatuans has the whole world watching intently, and that the government must show its competence and resolve in providing justice to its people.

"We urge SC chief Reynato Puno to pull the bull by the horns and send a strong warning to those who think they can intimidate our system of justice; that they are bound to fail. They should be made to realize that the threatening or the killing of judges will only worsen their status as accused persons and will not lead to their exoneration. That by intimidating our judges, they are only digging their own graves and unwittingly ensuring their convictions. Only with such firm and unbending resolve by our justice system will the threats and the killings be seen as futile."

"Most of the cases involving the killing of judges have remained unresolved. The irony is that those who mete out justice are unable to secure it for themselves. The faith of our people in our justice system must not be undermined, and protecting our judges from harm's way is fundamental in ensuring that they are able to do their jobs. Only when they see that our justice system has the unwavering resolve to go after these hardened criminals will our people's faith remain strong."