NDF consultant Randy Malayao laid to rest

ISABELA, Philippines – Mourners raised their fists while marching on Thursday, February 7, the day slain activist Randy Malayao was laid to rest. 

The San Pablo Church in Isabela province was filled with hundreds of Malayao’s relatives, friends, and other symphatizers who are crying for justice for his brutal killing.

Malayao, a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, was killed while asleep inside a bus in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya, on January 30.

Raymund Villanueva, a close friend of Malayao, said it’s the first time in their lifetime that they’ve seen the church overflow with people. 

“Only you have managed to accomplish this. This is testament to the fruitful life you lived, the most kind person you were, and the greatness of the struggle you embraced and served until your last breath,” Villanueva said.

Malayao’s funeral brought together several groups like Makabayan, Bayan, Karapatan, Danggayan, Anakpawis, and Gabriela. Members of Beta Sigma Fraternity, whom Malayao helped established, were also present.

The groups vowed to keep the name of Malayao alive.

People wore white during the funeral not just to call for justice but also to hail Malayao’s revolutionary life

Progressive group leaders like former Bayan Muna representative Satur Ocampo, Gabriela Representative Emmi De Jesus, and former agrarian reform secretary Rafael Mariano led the funeral march, called by some as “People’s Hero Funeral.”

People sang a revolutionary song with their fists raised as Malayao’s casket was lowered into the ground.

The Communist Party of the Philippines vowed to seek justice for Malayao’s killing, putting the blame on the Duterte administration that initiated a “crackdown” against left-leaning organizations and their members and leaders. – Rappler.com