STUDENT ACTIVIST MURDERED IN CAMARINES NORTE

At Left: Rie Mon "Ambo" Guran is a coordinator of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in Albay and spokesperson for the LFS in Aquinas University, Legaspi City. He was a 2nd year Political Science student. He was gunned down by elements of the AFP on his way to school around 6 am, July 31. He was killed a day after his 21st birthday. Right: Twenty-year old Cris Hugo was a small – only 4’11” tall – and humble person who led an exemplary life. He fearlessly fought for quality education and students’ rights – until bullets felled him last March 19, 2006.

By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
Last updated 06:32pm (Mla time) 02/16/2007

LEGAZPI CITY-- A member and former spokesperson of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in Camarines Norte was shot dead by an unidentified gunman Thursday night, just four meters away from the gate of his school.

The human rights group Karapatan in Bicol identified the victim as Farly Alcantara II, 23, of Mercedes, Camarines Norte and a business administration student at the Camarines Norte State College in Daet, the provincial capital.

He was the first leftist student leader to be killed in the country this year and the fourth in the Bicol region since 2001, said Vince Kasilihan, staff of Karapatan-Bicol.

The victim was on his way home aboard a motorcycle with his professor when he was shot five times in the head at around 9:40 p.m.. The professor was unharmed.

Senior Superintendent Henry Rañola, provincial police director, said the victim was shot with a caliber .45 pistol by a suspect described as about 5 feet and 5 inches tall who was wearing Navy blue shorts.

Recovered from the crime scene were four empty shells and two deformed slugs.
Investigators had yet to determine the motive of the killing.

Kasilihan said accounts gathered by Karapatan-Camarines Norte said Alcantara went home late that night because he was one of the organizers of the school's trade fair to be held Friday.

He said a school administrator staying at the guard house was able to witness the crime but could not identify the killer because it was dark.

"How could the crime have happened when the police headquarters in that area was just 300 to 500 meters away from the crime scene?" Kasilihan

Karapatan estimates the nationwide death toll from the extrajudicial killings of activists at more than 830 since 2001.