Who ordered the killing of public health officer Dr. George Repique Jr.?
(image from Dr. Repique’s public google plus account, used here non-commercially for academic purposes
Dr. George Repique Jr., Cavite provincial health officer, was known to many as a progressive and strong-willed person and a compassionate , competent public health doctor. He was shot dead yesterday on his way home by riding-in-tandem gunmen near the city college in Barangay Luciano, Trece Martires, Cavite.
There is no first-hand information yet on the identities of the assassins but there is first-hand information on who Dr. George Repique Jr. was.
When he was a resident surgeon of the Philippine General Hospial (PGH) in the 1990s, my sister, Myraleigh C. Lambino (Myra Lambino) was assigned to the ER (Emergency Room) of the PGH. She worked with him in emergency surgery cases, and knew him even during his internship days.
Myra recalls that Dr. George Repique Jr., or George, was actively involved in providing free medical services to the poor and indigent who are the most neglected by the government.
At the time he was killed, Dr. George Repique Jr. as provincial health officer, was also in charge of approving health projects worth millions of pesos. In particular, he had appeared in the news as a leading advocate for public health and had spearheaded projects for the prevention and eradication of dengue, tuberculosis, and other public health hazards.
Why would a competent and compassionate public health doctor pose a danger to certain interests that he would be assassinated?
Whose powerful toes did he step on in his public health work?
Dr. George Repique Jr. is the third public health officer slain under the Duterte administration.
Warning: Graphic video (already shown by CNN and other news organizations):
Rated R18 here.
This footage is now owned by the Turkish government (now being used in the investigation). It shows the Russian ambassador to Turkey being shot dead two hours ago while delivering a speech in a photo exhibit.
From the New York Times: “Istanbul. — Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was assassinated at an Ankara art exhibit on Monday evening by a lone Turkish gunman shouting “God is great!” and “don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria!” in what Russia called a terrorist attack.
“The gunman, who was described by Ankara’s mayor as a policeman, also wounded at least three others in the assault, which was captured on Turkish video. Turkish officials said he was killed by other officers in a shootout. xxx”
According to the CNN translator, the assassin also shouted, in Turkish: “Only death can remove me here.”
The video is cut when he was shot dead.
He was prepared to die ( no escape plan here — he did not design any other scenario): just so he could shout to the world:
“Allahu Akbar!
“Remember Aleppo!
“Remember Syria! ”
(Photo by the Wall Street Journal, video by the Turkish government; click the soundcloud pod below the video to stop its autoplay. All materials here are used non-commercially for academic purposes)
From The Daily Beast: ” xxx The Russian Embassy in Turkey tweeted confirmation of Karlov’s death at around 1 p.m. EST: “At 19:50 the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Gennadievich Karlov was taken to Gyuven hospital,” it stated, “where we were informed at 20:30 of his death.” The assassination occurred on the eve of a scheduled meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers to discuss next steps in the Syria crisis after the Assad regime, with the help of Russian airstrikes and Iranian-commanded Shiite militias, captured rebel-held East Aleppo and expelled tens of thousands of civilians.
The last convoys were expected to move Tuesday, Turkish officials said. xxx
earlier paragraphs: “The gunman was dressed in a black suit, the standard plainclothes uniform for protective security details, and got into the event by claiming to be Karlov’s bodyguard, witnesses said.
“As he started to fire, he shouted in Turkish that he was avenging the deaths of civilians in Aleppo and in Arabic that his action was a part of jihad or holy war.
” “We will not forget Aleppo, we will not forget Syria,” he said in Turkish. “No one can be safe as long as our brothers there are not. Get out of my way.”
“Then he declared in Arabic, “Allahü Akbar!” (God is great!), and quoted a follower of the Prophet Mohamad, ‘We are the ones who pledged Bai’a (fealty) to Mohammed on the terms of jihad as long as we live.” Several Turkish media outlets are now reporting his identity as 22-year-old riot policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas and the mayor of Ankara has said that he was off-duty at the time of the incident. The Daily Beast cannot confirm this information. “According to Russian news website Gazeta.ru, the shooter allowed people to exit the art gallery after he shot the ambassador. xxx”
