We, in the Department of Justice (DOJ), condemn the act of violence committed against one of our colleagues, Provincial Prosecutor (PP) ARTEMIO A. TAJON, Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Davao Del Sur.

At around fifty minutes past midnight (12:50AM) on 28 October 2013, the personal safety and security of PP Tajon and his family was disturbed and violated in a most despicable manner when an explosive device, which appears to have been a fragmentation hand grenade, was thrown and exploded at their residence in Digos City. Further investigation by responding police officers disclosed that unidentified suspect/s on board a black pick-up truck threw said hand grenade that not only caused damage to property, but also the endangerment of the life and limb of the residents, and the desecration of the sanctity of the sense of peace and security that every person has the right to expect within the safety of his or her own home.

As public officers charged with, among others, the  prosecution of violations of laws, we serve to uphold the Rule of Law and help preserve and maintain peace and order in our society. Hence, for our prosecutors to be subjected to this sort of menace is an offense, not just against PP Tajon, or his family, or to the National Prosecution Service of which he is a member, or even the DOJ as an institution, but against the Filipino people as a whole, as they all rely on public officials, such as our public prosecutors, to do their jobs without fear or favor.

Hence, in behalf of the Department and in my own personal capacity, I convey, in the strongest terms possible, our collective condemnation of this act of cowardice and intimidation.