BAGUIO CITY–The human rights group Karapatan strongly condemned the killing of rights advocate Randy Felix Malayao, 49, a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on political and constitutional reforms.
In a statement, the group described the attack as a “cold-blooded murder,” as they called for justice for Malayao and all victims of extrajudicial killings.
Malayao was shot dead inside a bus in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Malayao’s ride was at a bus stop when the gunman reportedly climbed aboard, approached the sleeping victim and shot him twice, sources said.
He died on the spot.
Citing initial reports, Karapatan said the gunman immediately left on board a black Yamaha Mio motorcycle.
“We ascribe Malayao’s killing, as with the deaths of Fr. Marcelito Paez, Elisa Badayos and Eleuterio Moises, and Atty. Benjamin Ramos and thousands others in the counterinsurgency program and the sham drug war, to the death squads of the Duterte regime, which has ceaselessly incited and ordered the killing of peace and human rights advocates, peasants and indigenous peoples, the urban poor, church people and many others,” Karapatan said in a statement.
According to the Cagayan Valley chapter of Karapatan, prior to his murder, Malayao was among those listed in sack streamers and strewn leaflets scattered in public places in Cagayan Valley accusing them as members of the New People’s Army in urban areas.
His remains were brought to the Everlasting Funeral Homes at Poblacion, Aritao.
“We hold the (Duterte and US) accountable for this cowardly act and for the culture of impunity that prevails under its watch,” Karapatan-Cagayan Valley said in a separate statement.
Before President Duterte canceled peace talks with the NDFP, Malayao attended formal peace negotiations in Europe as a consultant from Cagayan Valley.
He also acted as one of the spokespersons of the NDFP Negotiating Panel in Europe.
Abroad and in the Philippines, Malayao represented the NDFP in peace forums, along with Philippines negotiators such as Secretary Silvestre Bello III, lawyer Angela Librado Trinidad, and others.
He was also a columnist of the Baguio City-based newspaper Northern Dispatch. /lzb