CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF ATTORNEY JEMAR APADA’S MURDER

A
Case study Analysis
Presented to the
Faculty of the College of Criminology
University of the Visayas
Toledo City

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY

Andson Jay Gaihe Rubin

January 2022
 CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF ATTORNEY JEMA APADA’S MURDER

INTRODUCTION
Every day on the news there are all kinds of reports. Crime reports are a major part of today's

events. Almost every day there are posts about crimes. In every corner of the globe, the rate of

crime has risen dramatically. It has been one of the most prevailing and worrying aspects in any

society and its prevention should be taken seriously.

By definition, crime is an act committed or omitted in violation of a law forbidding or

commanding it and for which a punishment is imposed upon conviction. In the Philippines, the

Revised Penal Code (Republic Act No. 3815) serves as the basic law that defines criminal

offenses and provides the penalties for the commission of such.

In the Philippines, crime exists in numerous forms and continues to be a serious concern

throughout the country. The nation has a moderately high rate of crime, violence, and even

terrorism.

In 2020, the country was on the bottom five of the order and security index ranking across the

Asia Pacific region. Equally, the Philippines were among those with the highest incarceration

rate in every hundred thousand inhabitants. Crime rates were particularly high in poorer
neighborhoods and areas with larger populations and higher unemployment. It is an act that has

been timeless and has been committed practically since the start of time.

Background

Murder is defined as the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. In today's

society, murder is defined by statute rather than common law. Though today's statutes derive

from common law, one has to look to these statutes for important distinctions—like the

difference between first- and second-degree murders. (Sara J. Berman) Murder is the unlawful

killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of

another human with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the

jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter.

(Wikipedia)

Research Methodology

This qualitative research method enables a complex phenomenon to be explored through

the identification of different factors interacting with each other. The case observed is entitled

“(CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF ATTORNEY JEMAR APADA’S MURDER)”.

CASE REPORT
A police officer allegedly shot dead a lawyer – the husband of a fellow cop – in Diadi, Nueva

Vizcaya, on Thursday, December 1.Tuguegarao City resident Jemar Apada, 29, was declared

dead on arrival at the Diadi Emergency Hospital after sustaining several gunshot wounds. Police

Chief Inspector Alexander Cabang, Diadi police chief, said in a report that Police Officer 1

Clifford Dulnuan shot Apada at the boarding house of the victim’s wife around midnight

Thursday. Apada’s wife, a police officer in Diadi, reportedly witnessed the killing. Cabang said

the victim’s wife and the suspect are both assigned in Diadi. Police said they are looking into

possible motives of the suspects to kill the victim.

ANALYSIS

The death of a lawyer at the hands of the police reflects the inadequacies in our legal system as

well as the abuse of power that occurs in our country. The case of Atty. Jemar Apada reflects the

inconsistency and unconstitutionality of power even at the expense of those who exercise the

power of law.
On December 1, 2016 Atty. Jemar Apada, was shot dead by a police officer in his wife’s

boarding house in Nueva Vizcaya. Police Chief Inspector Alexander Cabang, Diadi police chief,

said in an initial report that Police Officer 1 Clifford Dulnuan shot Apada around midnight

Thursday. Apada’s wife reportedly witnessed the crime and identified the suspect, whom she

works with at the Diadi Police Station where she is also assigned as a cop.

This case has a number of critical points that must be addressed. First, a lawyer's death at the

hands of a police officer exemplifies the extremes of how power can be misused for personal

gain. Atty. Jemar Apada serves as a chief of staff for Governor Elias Bulut Jr. in Apayao, as well

as practicing law. This heinous murder just goes to show that even strong people can fall victim

to injustice. It was later said in the proceeding investigations and interviews with Apada’s wife

that, she engaged in intimate relationship with her fellow police officer, Dulnuan which her

husband only recently found out. Further investigations into the case tells that Apada arrived at

their home in Barangay Poblacion to find his wife Police Officer 2 Jenny Apada allegedly

sleeping with her colleague, PO1 Clifford Dulnuan. Perhaps after some confrontation and

altercation, this led to the killing of Atty. Apada. Another point that is also worth discussing is

how immediate and powerful this country’s justice system works if a person of power becomes a

victim of injustice. Not even a year after Atty. Apada’s death, his wife, PO2 Jenny Apada

together with PO1 Clifford Dulnuan, were charged and convicted for his murder. Meanwhile,

several criminal cases in the country that are far more extreme and gruesome, are left to oblivion

because ordinary people simply didn’t have the same power and connections.

The case of Atty. Apada teaches us that even those in power are powerless in the hands of

injustice and no one is truly protected. This is just one of several examples of committed adultery

and murder within the national police department in the last three years, raising questions about
the force's moral standards and ideals. This instance merely adds to residents' concerns and

suspicions about the police's ability to protect them from injustice.

CONCLUSION

Power itself is not necessarily a bad thing with many cases of power producing positive results.

It is when power is combined with abuse that a problem begins. Many people in power abuse

their position through authority with manipulative strategies.

Abuse of power is the misuse of a position of power to take unjust advantage of individuals,

organizations, or governments. Power and authority should not become a parameter of abusing

someone’s life that leads to an intolerable act or unjustifiable crime.

It has existed in all societies, and that efforts to legislate, enforce, punish, or otherwise correct

criminal behavior have not succeeded in eliminating crime. While some have concluded that

crime is a necessary evil in human society, and have sought to justify its existence by pointing to

its role in social change, an alternative view is that the cause of crime is to be found in the
problems of human nature and human relationships that have plagued us since the origins of

human history. Correcting these problems would effectively remove the source of crime, and

bring about a peaceful world in which all people could realize their potential as individuals, and

develop satisfying, harmonious relationships with others.

References
By The Northern Forum (2016) the northern Forum Lawyer shot dead by Nueva Vizcaya cop.
Retrieved December 01, 2016 from https://northernforum.net/lawyer-shot-dead-by-nueva-
vizcaya-cop/
RAYMON DULLANA (2016) Rappler Cop kills lawyer in Nueva Vizcaya. Retrieved
December 02, 2016 from https://www.rappler.com/nation/154277-lawyer-killed-cop-nueva-
vizcaya/
Raymund Catindig(2016) Philstar Global Cops face raps over lawyer slay. Retrieved December 24, 2016
from https://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/12/24/1656299/cops-face-raps-over-lawyer-slay
Danielle Rebollos,(2016) ABS-CBN News Abogado, patay sa pamamaril sa Nueva Vizcaya
Retrieved December 01,2016 from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/01/16/abogado-patay-sa-
pamamaril-sa-nueva-vizcaya