Team Pnoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Friday condemned the ambush of lawyer Ramon A. Leaño, dean of the College of Law and vice president for administration and business at the Don Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Ilocos Norte.
Leaño was reported to be in critical condition Leaño at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City after he was shot several times by unidentified men riding in tandem on February 14 in Barangay Quiling Sur, Batac City. Police have arrested two suspects
“Our prayers are with Dean Leano and his family during this time of tragedy. I vehemently condemn this incident, especially since it occurred within campus grounds,” said Angara, who sits on the MMSU Board of Regents.
Angara called for the swift passage of the Campus Safety Act (HB 6497) which mandates the creation of Crime Prevention Committees (CPCs) in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country, including State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).
These CPC, he said, will be composed of representatives from the school administration, the student body and the appropriate parent-student association. They will be tasked with formulating and implementing strategies for campus law and safety enforcement.
“The main objective of the proposed bill is to ensure the safety and security of every individual within the school—from students to teachers, janitors to administrator,” Angara, principal author of the measure, said.
“Schools should be conducive to learning, creativity and intellectual discourse, not venues for violence or crime,” he said.
The recent spate of reports of violent incidents within campus grounds over the past few months prompted the House of Representatives’ Committee on Higher and Technical Education, which is chaired by Angara, to fast track the approval of the measure earlier this year.
“We can’t afford to wait for another incident before we spring to action on this matter. I urge my colleagues to approve this measure, the moment the session of the 15th Congress resumes—no matter how briefly,” Angara said.
