FilAm lawyer, brother killed before Christmas in family dispute; another brother is arrested
For FREE immigration consultation, CLICK HERE. Use Code: THE FILAM
Lawyer Erick Soriano. He was known for representing several nonprofit organizations pro bono.
They died as a result of a family dispute, which is currently under investigation. Both were laid to rest in Christ the King Columbarium in Quezon City on December 27.
Erick and Felicito were born in Manila, Philippines, but were U.S. citizens. They were among 12 children of Mariano Soriano and Mercedes Castor, also from Manila. Erick was 59 and Felicito was 72.
According to an Inquirer report, the U.S. citizen brothers were shot by an older brother Nilo, 77, over a dispute on the ownership of their house, which he later allegedly set on fire. It appears that Nilo, a retired maintenance engineer, lives in the Philippines. He has been arrested.
The Inquirer report quoting the police states that, “(suspect) Soriano ‘mercilessly shot’ his younger brothers, Felicito, a 72-year-old businessman, and Enrico, a 60-year-old lawyer, whose scorched remains were discovered by police operatives after firefighters had put out the flames…According to the (Eastern Police District) EPD, Soriano ‘threatened to kill his brothers due to a dispute in the ownership of their house’ while the three were having breakfast on Friday.”
A housemaid was the lone witness. “(She) told the police that before she fled outside the house, she saw Soriano pouring gallons of gas on his dead brothers’ bodies,” adds the report.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic news,” FilVetREP Chairman Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret) said. “We convey our deepest condolences to the Soriano family. FilVetREP respects the family’s privacy during this very sad time, especially that Erick and Felicito’s deaths happened during the holidays. Please include the Soriano family in your thoughts and prayers.”
FilVetREP – or the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project – is the organization that campaigned that Filipino veterans of World War II be honored with Congressional Gold Medals in recognition of their service. In October, or after a year-long campaign, surviving veterans received their medals.
A published bio states that Erick Soriano was a partner in the D.C. office of Garvey Schubert Barer. Before that, he served in senior capacities with several of the nation’s largest and most reputable law firms, including Reed Smith, Kelley Drye & Warren, and Fleischman and Harding (now Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge).
In addition to his private practice, Erick represents several national nonprofit organizations pro bono. He is a member of several bars and voluntary bar associations.
Erick obtained his J.D. from the Beasley School of Law at Temple University in 1991 where he was, among other things, Editor-in-Chief of the International and Comparative Law Journal and a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. He also has an M.A. in Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Plans are underway for a memorial service in January 2019 to honor and celebrate Erick and Felicito’s lives. Both brothers have many friends across the country and especially in the Washington D.C. area, according to a statement from FilVetREP.
To send your sympathies for Erick and Felicito, please address them to Ms. Priscilla Sutherland c/o Ms. Margaret Lacson-Ecarma, 2116 South Columbus Street, Arlington, VA 22206.
© The FilAm 2019
