EDITORIAL - Justice for Ortega

The gunman has been arrested while the weapon used has been recovered and its owner traced. It should be easy for the Philippine National Police to give justice to the bereaved family of wildlife conservationist Gerry Ortega, who was shot dead the other day in Palawan’s capital Puerto Princesa City.

Police said the .45 caliber automatic that gunman Marlon Dicamata used in the murder was traced to Romeo Seratubias, a lawyer and former Palawan provincial administrator. Seratubias denied involvement in the killing and claimed he had sold the gun a long time ago.

Investigators said Dicamata, a resident of Taguig, admitted receiving P20,000 as part of the P150,000 contract price for the hit. The murder is suspected to be linked to Ortega’s environmental advocacies and criticism of certain Palawan officials. Ortega was a commentator on dwAR, the local affiliate of Radio Mindanao Network. He had opposed mining operations in Palawan, where he once served as a member of the provincial board.

With a hired gun who seems willing to identify his employer and with the weapon used recovered, the Philippine National Police has no excuse to bungle the investigation of this murder. Law enforcement authorities should make sure there would be no sacred cows in the investigation.

Dicamata’s story shows how relatively cheap and easy it can be to order the assassination of enemies, activists and pesky media critics in this country. If investigators bungle this case, it will surely embolden more thugs to continue murdering their opponents and critics. What is P150,000 to those who think they are powerful enough to control the criminal justice system?

This is a chance for law enforcers to show that one cannot get away with murder in this country. That message must be sent especially with a new administration in place – one that has vowed to uphold human rights and put an end to the killing of activists and journalists. The one who ordered Ortega’s murder must be identified, arrested, convicted and sent to prison.