MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan blamed the Duterte administration anew for the “daily killings” that plague the country after the recent assassination of Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe. “The daily killings were touted by the Duterte administration as the solution to our country’s ills, that the more killed in the drug war, the better,” Pangilinan said in a statement on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENTWhile they may not be on the same side of political fence, Pangilinan said Batocabe’s violent death should be “roundly condemned.”“He was my contemporary at the UP College of Law in the late 80s. Pangilinan also called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to be vigilant on election-related violence in the 2019 elections. For Senator Richard Gordon, Batocabe’s killing was an “indication of moral decay.”“We commiserate with the family of Ako Bicol Representative Rodel Batocabe during this time of grief.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 23, 2018 06:45 UTC