Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Sunday said the government may help lawyers in expediting the issuance of license to possess and permit to carry firearm should they decide to arm themselves for protection amid an alarming number of killings involving members of their profession.
"Lawyers know that their job exposes them to danger, and there is no law prohibiting them from arming themselves," Guevarra said, in an interview on radio dzBB.
“If they wish to arm themselves, there's no problem with that. The government may even help facilitate the issuance of appropriate permits,” said Guevarra, who described the recent spate of lawyers being killed as “alarming.”
Earlier this month, Angelo Karlo Guillen,one of the petitioners against the Anti-Terrorism Law, was stabbed in the head and shoulder by two unidentified assailants.
The Justice secretary said lawyers are prone to what he described as “murderous incidents” due to the nature of their work and many of such attacks are well-planned so that authorities find them hard to solve.
He said lawyers need to take measures to improve their personal security.
"They should be more aware of the danger or the risk that they are facing," he said.
"They may collaborate with their own association of lawyers, with their IBP (Integrated Bar of the Philippines) chapters, [and] with law enforcement agencies for their protection," he added
Guevarra said that the Department of Justice, through its investigatory arm the National Bureau of Investigation, will continue in their investigations into cases involving attacks on lawyers.
He said the DOJ has already created its own inventory of cases to track their investigations and trial.
Unless lawyers report threats to their safety, Guevarra said it would be difficult for the DOJ and police to determine the dangers they are facing.
“So it is up to them to alert, warn law enforcement or the DOJ if there is a danger to their lives,” he said.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR), meanwhile, said it is alarmed by the request of Philippine
National Police for a list of lawyers representing the “Communist Terrorist Group personalities in court.”
Commission spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia took a swipe at Lt. Fernando Calabria Jr., Samar intelligence chief, for his request to identify the lawyers of the accused.
“This kind of action is unbecoming of a police officer that transcends all legal and statutory basis and threatens the legal profession by failing to appreciate the role of lawyers in upholding the people's constitutional rights,” she said.
“The right to an independent counsel of an accused, preferably of their own choice, is guaranteed by the Constitution, our laws, and the rules of court. By targeting lawyers, the concerned police officer equally threatens the rule of law,” she added.
She said it is also significantly concerning that such incident an incident occurred when killings of lawyers remain at an all-time high and red-tagging remains to be a pervasive problem.
“The immediate relief of Police Lt. Calabria Jr. by PNP officer in charge, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar to make way for an impartial probe in this matter is a welcome move,” she said.
“We also welcome the comment of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra opposing and calling out the PNP for 'any such activity if the same is in violation of existing laws or established policies, or unnecessarily endangers the security of certain classes of persons, most especially lawyers,’” she said.
She urged the PNP to come up with clearer guidelines for its law enforcers on information gathering to assure the public of the reasonable exercise of police power.
“In this way, the public can expect greater accountability from law enforcers by showing that PNP will remain committed in their motto 'to serve and protect' the Filipino people, especially our rights to life and liberty,” she said.