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“There is now a barrage of malicious and false allegations hurled against peace consultant Randy Malayao. Attacking a dead person to justify his killing is the odious handiwork of Malayao’s murderers and their protectors. Instead of focusing on an impartial investigation, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been busying itself with circulating baseless, unsubstantiated, and malicious rumors about Malayao and creating intrigue on his death. The police have become akin to a deranged paparazzis in uniform, resulting from the State actors’ paranoia of being discovered as the perpetrators. Perhaps no one can play as dirty and as downright callous as the Duterte regime and its gamut of paid mercenaries and propaganda machine,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, in response to the accusations of the Philippine National Police Region II against Malayao.

“There is now an ongoing trend of activists going missing, only to be later located in military camps or police stations or worse, dead. After abducting these individuals, the military and the police then spin ludicrous stories that they are either surrenderees or members of the New People’s Army (NPA), or their abduction already ‘cured’ by trumped-up criminal charges. Those who have been killed by suspected State forces are claimed to have been fatalities during armed encounters – another fantastic permutation of the worn-out ‘nanlaban’ narrative. It’s one outrageous lie after the other,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, citing recent cases of human rights violations in Mindanao. 

“As in many other cases of state-sponsored killing, the government whips up some fantastic theory, expressed through contradictory statements and devoid of any evidence, that uses the NPA or some other scapegoat to evade accountability of its State forces and justify more draconian measures,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay in response to the statement of Chief Supt. Mario Espino of Philippine National Police Region 2 tagging the New People’s Army in the recent killing of peace consultant Randy Felix Malayao.

“There is now an ongoing trend of activists going missing, only to be later located in military camps or police stations or worse, dead. After abducting these individuals, the military and the police then spin ludicrous stories that they are either surrenderees or members of the New People’s Army (NPA), or their abduction already ‘cured’ by trumped-up criminal charges. Those who have been killed by suspected State forces are claimed to have been fatalities during armed encounters – another fantastic permutation of the worn-out ‘nanlaban’ narrative. It’s one outrageous lie after the other,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, citing recent cases of human rights violations in Mindanao. 

“If this is an indication of what is to come, then anyone from the communities, the ranks of human rights and peace advocates, and the poor and marginalized sectors are all at an even greater risk. The Duterte regime’s kill, kill, kill program under ruthless campaigns have resulted in cold-blooded, cowardly killings that target individuals who have given their lives to the pursuit of justice, peace, and defense of people’s rights. We are extremely enraged at the extent of which this government can outrightly violate our rights. The Duterte regime and its legion of ruthless murderers have sunk to an all-time low, into a bottomless pit of dastardly crimes that can only be masterminded and executed by the most brutal and cruel butchers,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, citing the recent killings of peace consultant Randy Felix Malayao and peasant leader Sergio Atay.