Monday, August 25, 2004 Anti-death penalty activist slain By Rex C. Otero and Joy G. Romares
DAVAO CITY -- A former student activist was summarily executed while on his way to attend a human rights conference in Bajada in Davao City on Tuesday.
Rashid "Jun" Manahan, 27, married, of Seawall at Barangay 76-A in Bucana, was the 66th person slain this year alone by a shadowy vigilante group that has since been dubbed the "Davao Death Squad".
The victim was a non-government organization worker who staunchly campaigned against summary executions and the death penalty.
Manahan was executive director of the Community Resource Development Center and coordinator of Mamamayang Tutol sa Bitay (Citizens Against Death Penalty)-Davao chapter.
Manahan was a student activist when he studied at the University of Mindanao (UM) and was the founder of Trivia Epsilon Omega, a fraternity in UM.
Police investigators said Manahan was walking toward Ponce Suites at the Doņa Vicenta Subdivision in Bajada around 12:20 p.m. to attend a forum on the death penalty and summary killings in Davao City when two men on board a Honda Wave motorcycle with plate number LFA-119 shot him several times before speeding off.
Four empty shells from a caliber .45 pistol were recovered from the crime scene.
Manahan sustained four gunshot wounds and died while being transported to the Davao Medical Center.
The forum he was to attend was to have Martha Alvarez of the Asia Monitoring Team of the European Union and Dr. Nymia Simbulan, executive director of the Manila-based Philippine Human Rights Information Center, as guest speakers.
"The death of Rashid does not mean the end of our campaign against the death penalty and summary execution," a member of the MTB said.
"He strongly opposed summary killings, bisan sa una pa, classmate man gud nako na siya og kabalo gyod ko ana (even before I knew that because he was my classmate)," Danilo Reyes, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) staff, told Sun.Star Davao.
Manahan's death follows that of a recruiter of a security agency who was shot in front of his wife just outside their house at Times Beach in Matina at 8:20 p.m. Sunday.
Joseph Lirog, 35, of Happy Times along Times Beach, was outside his home enjoying the sea breeze just after dinner with his wife and brother when he was shot six times by an unidentified gunman, who immediately fled on board a motorcycle that had two men waiting for him.
Lirog's wife accuses a neighbor, one Bebeng, of being responsible for the death of her husband.
Lirog had a quarrel with Bebeng over Lirog's alleged mauling of his neighbor's younger son. The accusation was denied by Bebeng's sister.
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