IBP-Cebu urges police to solve shooting incident involving lawyer

IBP LOGO | INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A group of lawyers here in Cebu is urging investigators to immediately solve Saturday’s shooting incident involving a lawyer.

Lawyer Ria Lydia Espina, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter (IBP-Cebu), said they condemned the attack perpetrated against one of their members, Lawyer James Joseph Gupana, last Saturday morning in Lapu-Lapu City.

“We condemn in the strongest terms this attempted killing of Atty. Gupana (on Saturday morning). This latest violence would add to the list of numerous unsolved cases of killings and attempted killings here in Cebu and the whole country, with these motorcycle-riding perpetrators,” Espina told CDN Digital in a phone interview.

“We would (also) like to call on the police to immediately solve this attempt on the life of Atty. Gupana and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice,” she added.

Gupana, 74, suffered gunshot wounds in his left arm and body after surviving an ambush past 9 a.m. last Saturday, October 10 in Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City. The victim is already in stable condition.

Police are still coming up with the identities of the gunmen behind the incident but their initial findings pointed to motorcycle riding gunmen.

READ MORE: Lawyer wounded in daytime ambush in Lapu-Lapu

They also said Gupana told police investigators that he had been receiving death threats in relation to his work shortly before he was waylaid.

For IBP-Cebu, the recent incident targeting lawyers here is ‘an assault to the rule of law and sensibilities of peace-loving Cebuanos’.

“We feel this attack is not only an attack on the life of an officer of the court but it is also an assault to the rule of law and sensibilities of peace-loving Cebuanos,” Espina said. /dbs