NDF consultant’s slay: Obstruction of justice raps filed

MANILA, Philippines — Three persons, including a lawyer of human rights group Karapatan, face charges for allegedly obstructing the investigation of the murder of National Democratic Front (NDF) consultant Randy Felix Malayao.

Chief Superintendent Jose Mario Espino, Cagayan Valley police director, said Karapatan legal counsel Edu Balgos; his wife Rina, a former board member of Nueva Vizcaya, and Malayao’s sister Perla Upano, an employee of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, were charged with grave threats, grave coercion and obstruction of justice.

Espino said the three forcibly took from police custody Malayao’s six cell phones, a laptop and documents recovered at the crime scene, which could have provided leads into the killing.

“Hindi po sana nakialam yung mga tao na sinasabi namin,” Espino said.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde relieved Senior Superintendent Jeremias Aglugub, Nueva Vizcaya police director, and Chief Inspector Geovanni Cehes, Aritao police chief, for violating operational procedures when they turned over the recovered items to Malayao’s sister.

Probers are looking into Malayao’s background as a New People’s Army commander as a possible motive for the killing.