A ₱200,000 reward was offered by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) for credible information that will lead to the arrest of the assailants of Atty. Joshua Lavega Abrina.

A Palawan-based lawyer, Abrina was shot to death in front of his home in Puerto Princesa on 17 September 2025.

The IBP’s 27th Board of Governors resolved to allot the reward to support ongoing investigations.

It described Abrina as a “dedicated lawyer, servant of justice, and staunch advocate of the rule of law.”

The IBP, in a statement, condemned the violence, saying that the killing of lawyers is a “symptom of a deeper malaise in our democracy and that one death is one too many.”

The IBP’s Committee on Security for the Legal Profession will coordinate with the Philippine National Police to implement the measure and ensure the case is pursued with vigilance.

Abrina’s killing made him the eighth victim of legal professionals’ killings since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022.

The lawyer, who worked for the Palawan offices of the Department of Education and the Philippine Ports Authority, was killed by an unidentified assailant outside his home in Barangay San Jose at around 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, 17 September.

He had just arrived from a prayer meeting and was unloading belongings from his vehicle when he was shot dead, said the Puerto Princesa City police report. Abrina was rushed to the hospital but was later declared dead on arrival.

Puerto Princesa City police said they are still determining the motive behind the killing and the suspect’s identity.

“Further, this Office has already activated a Special Investigation Task Group to give focused attention to this case and ensure its immediate resolution,” the local police added.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court, through Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, condemned Abrina’s death. Leonen said the crime “is a grave matter that strikes at the very core of justice” and must never be taken lightly.

“I directed the Chief Marshal and Deputy Marshal for Luzon to contact the relevant investigative and law enforcement agencies to separately obtain updates regarding this incident so that the Court is provided with the necessary information to further review its policies to ensure the safety of our lawyers,” the senior magistrate said in a statement.

Lawyers killed in the current administration are: Joshua Lavega Abrina (17 September 2025); Bai Maceda Lidasan-Abo (26 March 2025); Junisa Kimamao (17 March 2025); Ibrahim Pendatu (17 March 2025); Prosecutor Eleanor dela Peña (10 June 2024); Ma. Saniata Alzate (14 September 2023); Elmer Mape (22 August 2023); and Alberto Magulta (15 June 2023).