Citing statistics indicating a rise in murder of government prosecutors, the House Committee on Justice batted on Monday, March 1 the granting of hazard pay to all public prosecutors in the country.
Chaired by Leyte Rep. Vicente “Ching” Veloso, the House panel approved the consolidation of House Bills 8675 and 2719 giving the hazard pay equivalent to 25 percent of the basic monthly salary of prosecutors.
Principal authors Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez and Rep. Ruwel Peter Gonzaga (PDP-Laban, Davao de Oro) called for swift plenary approval of the measure.
In filing HB 8675, Rodriguez noted that since 2016, eight prosecutors died as a result of work-related murders. The killings have been committed with extreme degree of violence, particularly that of Chief Inquest Prosecutor Jovencio Senados of Manila.
The victims have been identified as City Prosecutor Rolando Acido, Prosecutor Johanne Noel Mingoa, Prosecutor Diosdad Azarcon, Asst. Prosecutor Maria Ronatay, Asst. Provincial Prosecutor Reymund Luna, Asst. Prosecutor Rogelio Velasco, Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro and Senados.
The killings of Acido, Mingoa and Senadors were linked to government’s war against drugs. The three victims were prosecuting drug cases when slain.
Two others, Prosecutors Manuel Tesiorna and Jesephone C. Olivar, survived gun attacks.
Many of the incidents remain unsolved.
“These highlight the dangers that our prosecutors face in the discharge of their role in dispensing justice,” said Rodriguez.
“While there can never be a price that would ever be commensurate to their lives, additional compensation or hazard pay will be a good show of support and a recognition of the importance of prosecutors,” said Rodriguez.
Gonzaga lamented that members of the National Prosecution Service have become targets of assaults, attacks and other acts of violence. “If the pattern continues, it will wreck serious impact on the role of the prosecutors and put at peril the criminal justice system,” warned Gonzaga.