Cagayan trial lawyer shot dead in ambush

By Raymund Catindig 

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan -- Police are looking into work-related angle in the fatal shooting of a trial lawyer by motorcycle-riding men here Wednesday night.

Supt. Jay Cumigad, city police chief, said slain lawyer Isagani Garcia, 35, a law professor at the Cagayan State University Tuguegarao City campus, reportedly handled high-profile cases.

Police said Garcia had just attended his class when the assailants overtook his car and fired several .45-caliber bullets at him at around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Judge Andrew Barcena of Ilagan City Regional Trial Court Branch 17 broke the news on Garcia’s killing during the launch Thursday morning of the Justice on Wheels program of the Supreme Court (SC).

The affair was attended by SC administrator Midas Marquez, judges and members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Isabela chapter, who all denounced the killing.

Ilagan City RTC Judge Jeffrey Cabasal said he believes that Garcia, who took the Bar exams in 1999, could have opposed someone in power that led to his killing.

This.as the regional police director of Cagayan Valley ordered Thursday the provincial director of Cagayan PNP to form a special task force to investigate Garcia's killing on Wednesday evening.

Chief Supt. Manuel Pinera said he has ordered Senior Supt. Gregorio Lim, Cagayan PNP provincial director, to form the task force that will lead the investigation.

Gaspar, of Tumauini, Isabela was a resident of Alimanao, Penablanca, Cagayan at the time of his death.

Lim said  Garcia was aboard his car when shot several times with a caliber 45 along barangay road, San Gabriel, Tuguegarao City in front of the old building of DA at around 8:28 p.m. by motorcycle riding assassins.