Members of peasants groups on Saturday, Oct. 10, trooped to Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City to protest the injustice done to slain National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Randy Echanis.
The rallyists were composed of members of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Anakpawis. They were also joined by supporters of the Justice for Echanis, Justice for All (JEJA) network.
”The government, particularly the Department of Justice, revealed that it is facing a blank wall on the investigation on Ka Randy’s case. We need answers. We demand truth and accountability,” former Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said.
The groups staged a protest to mark the second month after the death of Echanis. He was killed in his rented home in Novaliches, Quezon City on Aug. 10 after he was allegedly tortured.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) are probing the brutal murder of Echanis.
Casilao complained about the insufficient scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) reports on the Echanis slay case.
He also blamed the agency for doing a “sloppy job” on its investigation and profiling the perpetrators.
“We won't allow this case to go cold. We will persistently press the DOJ, CHR, and the Duterte government on this,” Casilao, who is also a JEJA convenor, said.
The groups likewise called attention to the proposed 2021 budget of the Department of National Defense (DND), which they claimed will be used against those critical of the Duterte administration.
They noted the defense and peace and order budget for next year is pegged at a P508 billion, P209 billion of which is for the DND, P33 billion for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, P19.1 billion for the National Task Forced to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTC-ELCAC), and P8.3 billion for confidential and intelligence funds.