MALACAÑANG on Sunday condemned the murder of a former assistant prosecutor in Cebu City as it ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the killing. “We are outraged by the brutal and brazen ambush of former Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Mary Ann (T.) Castro,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a statement. He added that the Department of Justice, through the NBI, “has been directed to immediately look into this dastardly crime, identify the perpetrators and bring them to the bar of justice.” He said the police, which has been investigating the case, has also been directed “to check into possible lapses, if any, considering the incident happened during an election gun ban.” Ms. Castro was driving last Jan. 17 on her way home when she was shot along Escario street, according to an earlier The Freeman report. Probers have initially said the killing could be due to a personal grudge or work-related. She was on vacation leave from the Masbate prosecutor’s office, according to provincial prosecutor Jeremias Mapula. She was supposed to return to Masbate this week to attend a hearing at a regional trial court. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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