Peasant leader shot dead in Dumaguete

MANILA, Philippines - A militant leader was shot dead on Wednesday in Central Philippines after attending a rally against the constituent assembly being pushed by the House of Representatives. Fermin Lorico, chairman of the KAUGMAON-Kilusan ng Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), was shot thrice at the back of the head near his office at San Jose Extension street in Dumaguete City at around 4:00 p.m. The group immediately accused the military of killing Lorico. “No one else would do this than the 79th Infantry Batallion of the military," KAUGMAON spokesperson Juliet Ragay told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. Ragay said Lorico had been a vocal supporter of farmers’ rights in the province and had accused the military of committing abuses against peasants. “[Lorico] was a good man. He even served in the church," Ragay said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has repeatedly denied involvement in the killings of peasant leaders, dismissing it as part of leftist propaganda aimed at tarnishing the military’s image. “These accusations of human rights violations, disappearances… nothing has been proved. It’s all propaganda," said Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, AFP-Civil Relations Services chief. In a separate interview, PO3 Dante Maribao of the Dumaguete police said that investigators are now conducting an autopsy on the victim. He refused to give other details in the shooting. Lorico had led his group in fighting for genuine land reform and lamented that lawmakers failed to give a solution to the age-old problem. - GMANews.TV