PRRD orders probe on killing of NegOr lawyer

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered an investigation into the killing of lawyer Anthony Trinidad who was shot dead while driving his car along the national highway in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.

His wife, Novie Marie, who was with him at the time, was injured and is now recuperating.

“PRRD has already ordered a thorough probe on the incident to determine who these perpetrators are and to ascertain the motive of the ambush,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement on Thursday.

Panelo condemned the incident, describing it as “atrocious” should it be discovered that the felony is “work-related.”

“The Office of the President strongly condemns the killing of Atty. Anthony Trinidad by two gunmen aboard a motorcycle in Negros Oriental, as well as the the infliction of bodily harm upon his wife,” Panelo said.

He also that government will prosecute the killers and ensure that they will face the appropriate penalties.

“We will prosecute these killers and ensure that they will face the appropriate punishment for such criminal act as we commit to deliver justice not just for the family of Atty. Trinidad but for the entire Filipino community,” he added.

Reports showed that Trinidad had been receiving death threats for several months before the attack since he has been tagged as a supporter of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).