MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, belied allegations that the Duterte administration was behind the killing of 72-year-old National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant and Anakpawis Party-list chairman Randall “Randy” Echanis.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison should wait for the result of the police investigations before pointing his fingers at the government.
“Hintayin nalang po natin ang imbestigasyon ng polisya diyan. Ito naman po ay kaso ng murder o homicide at iniimbestigahan po ‘yan ng kapulisan,” Roque said in a televised briefing.
“Huwag sana pong mabilis mag bintang sa gobyerno dahil ang CPP-NPA mismo nagpatayan,” he said.
Anakpawis said Echanis was killed inside his rented house in Novaliches, Quezon City, early morning of August 10.
Police, however, said the person killed was not Echanis but a certain Manuel Santiago along with Louie Tagapia based on identification cards recovered from the scene.
The wife of Echanis has insisted that Echanis and Santiago were one and the same person.
Sison blamed the Duterte administration for the death of Echanis.
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Pangilinan called on the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the killing amid allegations that the police were involved.
He also called on the police to release the remains of Echanis to his family.
More than 10 policemen took custody of the remains Monday evening, saying their investigation into the killing has not been completed.
Police also arrested a paralegal staff of Anakpawis who had claimed the body of Echanis and brought this to his family. (Jove Moya/SunStar Philippines)