"Chad is our hero."
This was how the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman College of Engineering (COE) described its alumnus who served as a volunteer teacher for the Lumads.
Chad Booc graduated cum laude from UP Diliman in 2017 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
In a statement, UPD College of Engineering denounced the killing of Booc who died, along with four others, in an alleged encounter in New Bataan, Davao de Oro last Feb. 24.
"We, the UP Diliman College of Engineering community, express our deepest sorrow and indignation on the death of our brilliant alumnus, Chad Errol R. Booc. That it happened in the hands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines makes it highly suspicious," the statement read.
The institution also demanded an "immediate and unbiased investigation" of the incident to bring justice to Booc and four others who died.
"Young idealists like Chad, and many others who were red-tagged and whose lives were snuffed out of their prime in the name of 'counter-insurgency' must be respected. Respect for human rights is paramount," UPD COE said.
"We believe in the rule of law and justice for all; even in war, there are laws to be followed. Instead of killing our youth, the government should be addressing the causes of their respective decisions to leave their comfortable lives to serve the underserved," it added.
UPD COE demanded an immediate investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation and called on the Commission on Human Rights and independent bodies to conduct parallel investigations "to ascertain the truth and give justice to Chad and his companions."
"We denounce the liars who call them 'terrorists.' We pray that all these killings repeatedly happening in our country be stopped immediately. We salute Chad for his courage and his passion for serving the people."