Relates the ponencia: Relates the ponencia: “In the afternoon of March 12, 1965, the Electoral Tribunal of the House of Representatives was holding a session in the Supreme Court building at the corner of Taft Avenue and Padre Faura Streets, Manila.  Atty. Manuel G. Verzosa was the deputy clerk of the first division of the Electoral Tribunal and as such was authorized to receive evidence relative to pending cases in the division and to submit a report thereon.  One of such pending cases deliberated upon was the electoral protest of Fernando Campos against Justiniano Montano involving the congressional seat for the lone district of Cavite in the election of 1961.  Shortly before 4:30 in the afternoon of that day, Atty. Verzosa went down to his car parked inside the Supreme Court Compound.  As he was about to open the door of his car in order to board it a lone gunman who had been waiting for him fired at close range using a .45 caliber firearm.  The first shot missed the victim.  The second one hit him at the corner of the upper lip and the bullet came out at the back of the head to the left, macerating the brain and fracturing the skull.  He fell on the ground on his back beside his car.  As if to make sure that the victim was dead, the assailant fired two more times at the still body before him, hitting the victim in the face and in the neck.  At the time of the shooting, a group of boy scouts of the U.P. Preparatory School were drilling on the lawn in front of the Rizal Hall building adjacent to the Supreme Court.  They immediately cordoned the lifeless body of the victim until the authorities arrived.  At the scene were found four empty .45 caliber shells.  A .45 caliber bullet was also found on the ground beneath the neck of the deceased.”

Evelio B. Javier, upon hearing of the shooting, immediately ran to  Fr. Joseph O’Brien, S.J., then holding office in the building as our Student Counsellor, fetching him to administer the final rites. 

The assailant was apprehended and was tried and eventually convicted for murder by the Court of First Instance of Manila.  The presiding judge was Ruperto Kapunan, Jr.,

Administering justice is, more often than not, not good for the health of the judge.  From a quick scan of the internet, the site Symbianize lists the following judges as having been killed in the line of duty: Hon. ROBERTO NAVIDAD, died, January 14, 2008, Regional Trial Court Branch 32, Calbayog City; Hon. ORLANDO VELASCO
July 27, 2007, Regional Trial Court Branch 63, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental; Hon. NATHANIEL PATTUGALAN, January 19, 2007, Municipal Trial Court in Baggao, Cagayan, Hon. SAHARA SILONGAN
December 3, 2006, Regional Trial Court Branch 15, Cotabato City, Hon. HENRICK F. GINGOYON
December 31, 2005, Regional Trial Court Branch 117, Pasay City, Hon. ESTRELLITA M. PAAS
September 23, 2005, Pasay City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 44, Hon. MILNAR T. LAMMAWIN, 51
August 9, 2004, Regional Trial Court Branch 25, Tabuk, Kalinga, Hon. PATERNO G. TIAMSON
February 21, 2004, Regional Trial Court Branch 69, Binangonan, Rizal, Hon. VOLTAIRE Y. ROSALES
June 10, 2004, Regional Trial Court Branch 83 of Tanauan, Batangas, Hon. PINERA A. BIDEN, May 17, 2003, Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Kabugao, Apayao, Hon. EUGENIO R. VALLES
April 25, 2002, Regional Trial Court Branch 3, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley,Hon. OSCAR GABY M. USON, September 27, 2002, Regional Trial Court Branch 52 in Tayug, Pangasinan, Hon. ARISTON L. RUBIO, October 31, 2001,Regional Trial Court Branch 17, Batac, Ilocos Norte,Hon. HASSAN T. IBNOHAIJIL, February 5, 2001, Regional Trial Court Branch 45, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Hon. CELSO F. LORENZO, SR.,November 1, 1999, Regional Trial Court Branch 1 in Borongan, Eastern Samar.

 I cannot, and thus do not vouch for the accuracy of the list. Nor do I maintain their exhaustiveness.  All I am saying is that, in this day and age, being a judge does require courage of sterling quality.