CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The newly-designated OIC of the Pampanga provincial police has ruled out politics as the motive behind the ambush of a young lawyer in Mexico town last Thursday night.
This, even as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines- Pampanga Chapter (IBP-Pampanga) called on possible witnesses to come out.
“Eya politics ini, ala yang political affiliation (This is not politics, he (victim) has no political affiliation),” said Senior Supt. Oscar Albayalde yesterday when asked on the motive behind the ambush of lawyer Ryann Rueda, 31.
Rueda, who is a junior partner of the Endona Law Office in nearby Mexico town, was ambushed by still unidentified suspects on board a motorcycle while he was driving home A from work at around 7 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. He sustained at least two bullet wounds one of which reportedly hit him in the spinal column.
Due to his injury, Rueda was not able to open his car when police arrived at the crime scene forcing them to break his car window. He was immediately rushed to the nearby Mexico Community Hospital but later transferred to an undisclosed hospital.
Senior law partner Atty. Gener Endona said he was able to talk to Rueda at his hospital bed last Thursday but declined to give any other detail of their conversation.
However, Endona said Rueda is now safe although in critical condition. He said he does not know of any sensational case Rueda is presently handling.
“No sensational case. Wala akong natatandaan. Wala rin akong maisip ini isa-isa ko na ang mga kaso e (I cannot remember any sensational case. I can’t also think of one since I went over his cases one by one),” Endona said.
“Simple lang ang mga kasong hinahawakan namin (We are only handling simple cases),” he said.
When asked if Rueda might be lawyering for a politician, Endona said no. “He is not lawyering for any politician because it is our policy not to accept any cases involving politicians,” he said.
Endona said his law office is handling mostly administrative cases, labor cases or simple criminal cases.
But Endona admitted they are not discounting the possibility of a love triangle. “Kasi pogi (Because he is handsome),” he said.
Meanwhile, the IBP-Pampanga called on possible witnesses to come out and testify. Atty. Peter Paul Maglalang, IBP-Pampanga president, said they will extend every possible assistance to whoever can testify for the speedy resolution of the case.
“Tutulungan namin at hihingi din natin ng secuirity yan (We will help anyone and we will also ask for his security),” Maglalang said.
But he admitted that they still have no leads on who could be behind the ambush. “Wala pang lead pero may mga suspects na we are still looking into that,” he said.
“Kase kung hindi natin lulutasin ang kasong ito mga abogado na nga taga pagtanggol ano pa kaya sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan (Because if we will not be able to solve this case involving a lawyer who defends people what more if this happens to an ordinary citizen),” Maglalang said.
“Papano pa maniniwala sa ating hustisya ang mga tao (How can our people believe in our system of justice),” he added.
When asked if he will now call for the arming of lawyers in the light of what happened, Maglalang said the IBP will now seriously look into the possibility of arming its members to give them a fighting chance against would be assassins.
“Titingnan natin kung magandang panukala yan pag uusapan ng IBP pero hindi lang naman ang chapter namin ang magdedesisyun n’yan buong IBP pag uusapan yan (Let’s see if this is a good idea, we will talk about it in our chapter but the whole IBP will be the one to decide),” he said.
Rueda was on his way home to Blue Diamond Subdivision in Barangay San Vicente, Sto. Tomas town when he was ambushed a few meters from the Endona Law Office.
Albayalde said the Mexico police are conducting follow-up investigation for possible identification of the suspects.
