CA Justice Sison gets death threats

A Court of Appeals justice got a threat to her life when two persons onboard a motorcycle lobbed a box that contained a live bullet at her house at Triumph Town House Subdivision in barangay Guadalupe yesterday dawn, and at the gate of the CA building more than an hour later.

But lawyer Stephen Ygnacio, the CA spokesperson in Cebu, said the twin incidents is not a cause for alarm, adding that they have already referred the matter to the police to investigate.

Police reports revealed that one of the two persons riding a red motorcycle without plate number threw a paper bag containing the box at the house of Justice Marlyn Sison's about 2:59 a.m.

A security guard identified only as Millanes saw the paper bag and when he immediately checked its content, he found a live ammunition of an M203 grenade launcher.

Written around the tip of the ammunition was "RIP Justice Marlyn Sison, Rest In Peace Marlyn Sison," which prompted Millanes to immediately call for police assistance. Personnel from the Mobile Patrol Group of the Cebu City Police Office immediately responded to the alarm.

More than an hour later, another paper bag was thrown by two unidentified men onboard a blue motorcycle, this time at the gate of the CA building along Salvador Extension, barangay Labangon.

One of the building's security guards immediately called for police assistance and the responding personnel from the Special Weapons and Tactics team found another live ammunition of an M203 grenade launcher also with the markings "RIP Justice Marlyn Sison."

Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch chief P/Supt. Pablo Labra II told reporters that they have met Sison and the other justices at her office regarding the incident.

Labra said the threat to Sison's life might be work-related since justices are handling controversial cases. But he added that they could not yet determined the motive of the two incidents as they are still conducting a follow-up investigation.

Labra believed that it was the same persons behind the twin incidents, saying that "ang intention ato is to intimidate lang" as it was the first time Sison had received such a threat to her life.

He said he already deployed two policemen at the CA building and at Sison's residence, and assigned a close-in security to her. "That is the immediate action we can do starting now, until she is safe."

The security at the CA building remains as usual despite the threat.

According to Ygnacio, it was the first time they have heard of the threat to the life of Sison although she only assumed office here two months ago.

Ygnacio said he could not remember any controversial case that Sison has handled that would warrant such a threat. - Norvie S. Misa and Fred P. Languido