Philippine Lawyer Kills Manila Judge in Murder-Suicide
2020.11.11
Manila and Cotabato, Philippines

A Manila judge was shot dead by an allegedly disgruntled chief clerk in a murder-suicide Wednesday at City Hall, officials said, in a case that put the spotlight back on violence against judiciary members.
The clerk, lawyer Amador Rebato Jr., 42, fatally shot Judge Maria Theresa Abadilla of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 45, after an argument in her office, according to a police report, which said Rebato then turned the gun on himself.
“The suspect died, apparently after committing suicide. The judge died after being rushed to the hospital,” Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso told BenarNews. “The investigation is ongoing and we will leave no stone unturned.”
Maj. Jhun Ibay of the Manila police’s district unit assigned to City Hall said it was not clear how Rebato managed to smuggle his weapon inside the building. To enter, people must pass through metal detectors and undergo COVID-19 medical checks.
The motive for the killing of the 44-year-old judge has not been established, although an initial report by Ibay’s office said the two were discussing Rebato’s work record.
Rebato, who had recovered from COVID-19, had gone to the judge’s office to tender his resignation because of his “unfavorable” performance, the report said.
Minutes before the shooting, he “was seen feeling uneasy and shuddering while being questioned by Judge Abadilla,” the report said, adding he then shot her without hesitation.
A source at the court told BenarNews that Rebato was with his sister, who is also a lawyer, when the incident occurred, adding there was no heated argument.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, who knew Abadilla, described her as an upright and competent judge.
“She was a law clerk in the Supreme Court for more than a decade before becoming an RTC judge,” Peralta said in a statement.
Violence against judges
Wednesday’s shooting brought attention to the brazenness of some perpetrators, an observer said.
“This shows the level of violence and impunity raging in the country today,” said Neri Colmenares, chairman of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers. “The attacks against lawyers and judges violate the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession.”
Fifty judges and lawyers have been killed in extrajudicial incidents since 2016, Colmenares said while noting that Abadilla’s shooting did “not follow the pattern” of such attacks.