following the killing of their congressman and his bodyguard last Saturday.
Representative Luis Bersamin, 62, and his security aid Adelfo Ortega were shot and killed by gunmen in suburban Quezon City near the capital Manila after leaving a Roman Catholic church where they attended a wedding. The assailants reportedly blocked their car and fired at them several times, police and other sources said.
"He was killed on the spot," said a police investigator. "His bodyguard exchanged gunfire but was also killed." Bersamin’s driver was wounded in the shootout, police said. "We’re still trying to establish the motive for the killing and the identities of the gunmen," an investigator added.
The motives were not immediately clear. Bersamin, a Catholic, had been very active for the local Christian community and was a close ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a Catholic, and her administration, in the Congress of the Philippines.
CATHOLICS SHOCKED
Monsignor Nilo S. Peig, the Catholic archdiocese administrator of Bangued, Abra’s capital, told reporters that his church will be praying "that justice will take its course" in the killing of Bersamin. "We are begging the investigating authority for the immediate solution of the murder of our beloved lawmaker," he said.
He reportedly appealed to the people of Abra to stay calm and "let the justice and peace prevail in the province." He said church members were praying and "we are beseeching our God Almighty to console his family." Peig praised the slain lawmaker for his help for the completion of a church building. He was also involved in the construction of two irrigation systems benefiting farmers in the towns of Bangued, Tayum and Pidigan.
His death comes amid concern over reports of murders across the country targeting lawmakers, journalists and human rights workers, including Christians. Many of them have been caught up in the cross-fire between independence seeking rebels and the military.
GOVERNOR DENIES
Abra Governor Vicente Valera has denied participation in the killing of Representative Bersamin, saying he was a victim of frame-up and that his conscience was clean.
Security forces this week raided several houses believed to be owned by Valera’s family in Abra province looking for illegal firearms that were allegedly being used by Valera’s private army. Valera refuted allegations that he is maintaining a private army, but President Arroyo has warned of an intensive investigation.
However some church leaders have cautioned that the president should not to use the murder for political means. Soldiers and police officers have been on alert because of a scheduled demonstration organized by Roman Catholic bishops in Manila’s main public park to express
opposition to moves by Arroyo’s allies in Congress to change the constitution.
Opposition from powerful religious groups forced the lower house of Congress to abandon attempts this week to alter the charter and shift the country to a parliamentary system, which critics saw as an attempt to extend Arroyo’s powers, news reports said.
