UPLB condemns killing of Los Baños mayor, seeks probe

The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on Friday condemned the killing of Los Baños, Laguna Mayor Caesar Perez who was shot inside the municipal hall on Thursday evening.

“His killing is an affront to our dearly held respect for human rights and must immediately be investigated. We call on the authorities to probe into the circumstances behind the killing… and bring perpetrators to justice,” UPLB said in a Facebook post.

“We would also like to appeal to the residents of Los Baños to denounce this utter disregard for judicial processes as can be seen in the killing of Mayor Perez,” it added.

Perez, former vice governor of the province, was gunned down while walking toward the receiving area of the municipal hall. He was hit twice in the back of his head.

Though the mayor was rushed to the local hospital, he was declared dead at around 9:25 p.m.

The UPLB also said the mayor was a staunch ally that “helped facilitate the implementation of its activities and programs and provided the resources” that were requested.

“He helped keep our campus secure and free from criminal elements through a partnership that we have nurtured with the Local Government of Los Baños and the barangays where the UPLB campus is located,” it said.

The university also expressed its condolences to the family and the community.

“With this, we express our deepest condolences to the people that Mayor Perez left behind — his immediate family and the Los Baños community. The UPLB community mourns with you,” it said.

Meanwhile, the special investigation task group that was created to investigate the killing will also look into the mayor's being on President Rodrigo Duterte’s narco list as a possible motive for the crime.

Perez was among the 46 “narco politicians” named by Duterte who faced complaints filed against him by the Department of the Interior and Local Government in 2019.—AOL, GMA News