KIKO URGES PNP, NBI, DOJ TO RESOLVE HLURB EXEC SLAY

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan calls on the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice to quickly resolve the slaying of Atty Leonardo Jacinto Soriano, an arbiter for the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).

According to reports, Soriano was murdered in front of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board Office by a motorcycle-riding gunman.

"We urge the authorities to crush the lawless elements who perpetuate senseless killings such as this," Pangilinan says. "Imagine--this murder was done right in front of a government agency building, showing the brazenness and the impunity with which the crime was committed."

"We will say this over and over again: it is the certainty of criminal punishment that will put a stop to these killings. We therefore urge the PNP and the NBI, together with the Judiciary, to exhaust all efforts to bring this case to justice and to protect the public servants of this country."

Pangilinan adds, "For us to truly make a dent in the justice system, we must speed up conviction rates in our courts. Our current average case life of six years is simply unacceptable. If we want to defeat impunity, we must make sure to mete out swift and true justice."