Bayan Muna condemns slay of NDFP consultant, says gov't is anti-peace

The Bayan Muna party-list group has condemned the murder of National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultant Randy Felix Malayao, who was shot dead before dawn Wednesday while sleeping on a bus bound for Nueva Vizcaya.

"We strongly and vehemently condemn this dastardly and cowardly act. Randy, a peace advocate, was killed after President Duterte’s latest flip-flop that there would be no more peace talks with the NDFP. It is as if the perpetrators were just waiting for a go signal to execute their standing orders," former Bayan Muna party-list lawmaker Neri Colmenares said.

Malayao also served as Bayan Muna regional coordinator for Cagayan Valley.

"Ang hirap kasi sa administrasyong Duterte ay kung sino pang nagtutulak para sa makatarungang kapayapaan ay siyang kinukulong at pinapatay. Samantala, ‘yung mga nagtutulak ng giyera at patayan ang siya namang pinupuri at pinopromote," Colmenares added.

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna party-list representative Carlos Zarate said that Malayao’s murder is proof that the Duterte administration is not serious in pursuing peace negotiations with communist rebels.

“This is another nail on the coffin of the peace negotiations. It is truly tragic that while we are going all out to resume the peace negotiations, the militarist hawks in the Duterte administration are the ones running the show,” he said.

"It appears that Randy's is part of the coordinated and direct attacks against progressive groups like Bayan Muna and the Makabayan bloc in the run up to the elections. Galit at takot ang mga may pakana ng panunupil na ito dahil nailalantad at nilalabanan ng Bayan Muna at Makabayan ang mga baluktot na patakaran ng pamahalaan," Zarate added.

Prior to his death, Malayao attended a campaign conference of the Makabayan bloc, a group of progressive organizations of which Bayan Muna is a member.

“While we mourn and grieve today, we demand that justice be served and we will not stop until it is achieved for Randy and the other victims of extrajudicial killings," he said.

Unlike other NDFP consultants, Malayao has no pending case in court, the group noted. —LBG, GMA News