The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) mourned the death of a Cebu judge who was killed in a road crash and, at the same time, urged authorities to strengthen road safety and strictly enforce traffic laws.

Judge Carmela Rosario Pasquin, 41, presiding judge of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) in Cebu, died early Wednesday after being thrown from a motorcycle she was riding in the town of Pinamungajan. She was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

Police reports said Pasquin was the backrider on a motorcycle driven by court processor Eric Gelizon Lanzarate, 48, when they collided with another motorcycle along the national highway at about 6:55 a.m.

According to investigators, the crash occurred when the preceding motorcycle, driven by 19-year-old Mark James Cabiling, suddenly made a left turn, which Lanzarate failed to avoid. Pasquin sustained severe injuries after being thrown onto the pavement.

In an official statement released Thursday, the IBP expressed grief over Pasquin’s death and extended its condolences to her family and colleagues.

The organization said her passing was a tragic reminder that “justice is often pursued on roads less protected,” as it highlighted the “alarming frequency of road accidents that claim lives.”

The IBP also called the incident a wake-up call for authorities to address what it described as a preventable public danger.

“The problem is not the absence of laws but the failure to enforce them,” the IBP said. “The country’s traffic laws are not wanting; their implementation is.”

The lawyers’ group urged both national and local governments to improve road safety infrastructure, impose stricter penalties on violators, and instill discipline among motorists to prevent further loss of life.