Justice for Randall Echanis, pursue peace to heal our land

“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14, NIV).

The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) expresses its utmost shock and vehemently condemns the killing of 72-year old Mr. Randall Echanis, a peasant activist and Consultant of the peace panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the vice chairperson of its Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms. According to initial reports, Mr. Echanis was killed, along with a neighbor, in the morning of August 10 in his house in Novaliches, Quezon City, in a raid by what his colleagues suspect to be by state agents. We pray that the Lord’s comforting hands be with his loved ones in their time of grief.

Ka Randy, as we fondly call him, was also the chair of Anakpawis and Deputy Secretary General of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP). As a Consultant in the peace process he was a frequent resource person during the many regional consultations of the PEPP on the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms. He shared his knowledge and passion for what he termed as genuine agrarian reform as a key component for just and lasting peace. We are deeply saddened that his murder comes a few weeks after the death of the NDFP peace panel chair, Fidel Agcaoili. Both are great losses for the peace process. He is also the second NDFP Consultant killed under the present administration. Randy Malayao was the first, whose murder early last year remains unsolved.

Ka Randy was peacefully observing the recently heightened pandemic protocols in his home when his assailants stormed into his house and took his life. The increase in police and military manned check points to implement the return of Metro Manila to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) begs the question on how the assailants had the courage to carry a weapon and mete out the killing at this time. This horrific act of violence is further indication of the rising culture of impunity and deteriorating human rights situation in the country. It is an affront to the sanctity of God’s gift of human dignity that is inherent in every person. Moreover, his body was taken by the police from the funeral home of choice by his family and transferred to another. The police are also insisting that they have to identify the body first if it is really Ka Randy, despite the positive identification of the family.

As church leaders working for just and enduring peace, we demand an immediate impartial investigation by the Commission on Human Rights on the tragic killing of Ka Randall Echanis and we pray that justice be served. We also repeat our call for the resumption of the formal Peace Talks between the GRP and NDFP in accordance with the Hague Joint Declaration and all other prior agreements to address the roots of armed conflict. In a time of great uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic, peace should be the balm to heal our land (cf. Jeremiah 8:22) and we must tirelessly seek and pursue it. (cf. 1 Peter 3:11).

Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, D.D.

Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform