By Trisha Angelika C. Ignacio

Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) fiscal and inquest division chief Jovencio Senados was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday morning, July 7.

According to reports by Manila Bulletin on Wednesday, the Manila Police District (MPD) formed a special task force to investigate the case.

The late City Prosecutor Senados, 62, was said to be travelling in his car from Calamba, Laguna together with his nephew when the attack happened. The assailants, who used a black sports Montero Mitsubishi, are yet to be identified by the investigators.

The case was assigned to the National Investigation Bureau National Capital Region (NBI-NCR) who also hired investigators to probe in the case.

In the report, Manila police chief Rolando Miranda stated that all angles are looked on to determine motives including “sensitive” cases the late prosecutor handled.

As chief inquest prosecutor, Senados ordered the release pending further investigation of 20 Manila Pride protesters who were arrested last June 26.

He also advocated an office policy of no prolonged detention for minor quarantine offenders and recently approved the release of alleged violators.

Among other cases he handled, his resolution over the murder of Masbate Vice Mayor Charlie Yuson III in Sampaloc, Manila last October 2019 became controversial. He ordered the release of four suspects who were arrested by the MPD and raised for further investigation.

In 2016, he held the case of Paul Biteng on the “biggest private data leak in Philippine history.” 

Senados was a graduate from the Far Eastern University Institute of Law (FEU IL) in Batch 1991.

In a Facebook post, FEU IL mourned “with indignation” over the demise of the alumnus. They asserted, “As lives are reduced into mere statistics, we must not falter in searching for justice.”

His Law batchmates also called for justice over the death of the late prosecutor.

In a collective post by FEU Law Batch 1991, “We, members of FEU Institute of Law Batch ‘91, stand united in condemning the heinous and cowardly murder of Manila Deputy Prosecutor Jovencio A. Senados.”

They added, “The brutal murder of Pros. Senados demonstrates the shameless act of perpetrators who have manifested their evil intent and their being unafraid of anything or anyone.”