Police eye robbery, work-related conflict as motives behind lawyer’s stabbing

By Jennifer P. Rendon

 

A lawyer cheated death following a stabbing attack evening of March 3, 2021 in City Proper district, Iloilo City.

But bigger questions are hounding the attempt on the life of Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen, the secretary-general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) – Panay Chapter.

Was it a plain robbery or did someone want to silence Guillen in the guise of robbing him?

Police reports indicated that the 32-year-old Guillen, a resident of Landheights Subdivision in Barangay Quezon, Arevalo, Iloilo City, was on his way to FerryMar Hotel at Montinola Street in Barangay Villa Anita, when two persons walked past him.

When the victim noticed that something was amiss, he allegedly ran to the hotel, but the two suspects caught up with him and beat him up.

One of the suspects later pulled a screwdriver and stabbed him on the left side of his face near his neck.

Police Major Mark Evan Salvo, Iloilo City Police Station 1 chief, said CCTV footage caught the incident but the suspects were not identified as both were wearing disposable face masks.

They then took the victim’s sling bag containing a Dell laptop.

Two motorcycles immediately fetched them after attacking Guillen.

Guillen was rushed to Iloilo St. Paul’s Hospital and is now in stable condition after undergoing surgery.

 

ROBBERY OR KILL PLAN?

Being a prominent figure of the NUPL, Guillen had been at odds with government forces, especially so that the lawyers’ group was labeled to be members or supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its wings, the New People’s Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Guillen was part of the Panay 42, a group of rallyists who were arrested after holding a protest on the death of Bayan Muna-Panay coordinator Jory Porquia in May 2020.

He was released from jail in September after posting bail.

Bryan Bosque, Bayan Panay spokesperson, said that what happened to Guillen was no plain robbery or stabbing incident. He claimed that the lawyer was the target of an assassination plot to warn others against opposing or criticizing the government.

Bosque noted that Guillen was one of the lawyers who offered their services to the families of those killed during the police raid in Tapaz, Capiz on December 30, 2020.

As such, Bosque said there could be no suspects other than “agents of the state.” He added that Guillen had been receiving threats since then.

There were also attempts to kill him in Sagay City, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.

Atty. Jose Edmund Guillen, the victim’s uncle and regional director of the Public Attorneys’ Office, also believed that what happened to the victim was not a simple robbery or stabbing incident but “a kill operation.”

Jose Edmund titled his Facebook post, “thoughts in front of the operating room.”

“It is not a crime to represent and fight for those who are voiceless, or if they do, discordant ones. It is not unlawful to protect the rights of those marginalized or oppressed for being indigenous,” Jose Edmund said.

He added that “it is not supposed to be wrong to disagree with the policies of every administration.”

“After all, we proclaim to the whole world that under our constitution no person shall be imprisoned by reason of his political beliefs. But to lurk in the dark and attack a lawyer who is innocent of all your taggings is the height of cowardice and a brazen display of impunity,” he said.

For those who want to make it appear as a robbery, Jose Edmund stressed that the CCTV footage would prove otherwise.

He noted that “right on the dot, after the stabbing, two motorcycles arrived to pick up the masked killers and they disappeared in the dark.”

“We lawyers also want to serve our clients and to protect them. Who will protect us from those who don’t want us to serve and to protect?” he added.

 

FILE CHARGES

Amid claims that the incident may have been perpetrated by state agents, both Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, Western Visayas police chief; and Colonel Uldarico Garbanzos, Iloilo City police chief, challenged the ‘accusers’ to legally run after them,

“File a case against state agents. They must produce evidence before they should even speak. Ganon lang ‘yun. Hangga’t wala silang ebidensya, mahirap nang magsalita,” Miranda said.

Sans any evidence, the region’s top cop said those who accused state agents of perpetrating the attack should keep their mouth shut, as police are doing their investigation.

“‘Pag ‘yung kasamahan nila, natalisod, nauntog ang ulo, nadapa, state agents na naman ang sasabihin. ‘Pag may binaril, state agent. ‘Pag may sinaksak, state agent. Eh baka pati aksidente sa motorsiklo, pag naaksidente sila, state agent. Mukha yatang nagiging praning na sila,” Miranda said.

He added that “state agents” have become a convenient excuse when leftist personalities are attacked.

For now, Miranda said they could not give a conclusive motive yet.

“What I’m sure is that there was a stabbing incident that happened at night. I was also surprised that it became a blown-out news,” he said.

 

ALARMED

Hours after the stabbing incident, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas expressed concern over what happened.

Treñas said he was “alarmed” by the incident and called on the local police to urgently resolve the matter.

“I am very much alarmed by the incident involving one of the lawyers along General Luna Street. Lawyers only do their function to protect their clients. As a lawyer myself, this is doubly important for to me to be solved. I call on our PNP to do everything possible to resolve this at the earliest possible time,” he said.

Lone district Rep. Julienne Baronda echoed the mayor’s sentiments, saying that peace and order must rule in Iloilo City.

“We condemn the violent attack against Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen, who is a staunch defender of human rights. I call on the Iloilo City Police Office to bring the perpetrators to justice at once,” Baronda said.