MANILA, Philippines — Anakpawis peasant group has condemned on Thursday the killing of a Bohol farmer in Bohol.

This, Anakpawis said as killings  of poor peasants continue, according to Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chapter, HUMABOL.

According to HUMABOL-KMP, the farmer identified as  Pelagio Compoc, was tending his carabao when he was shot five times with a .45 caliber handgun by still unknown assailants.

Pelagio is an active barangay tanod and has not figured in any dispute.

Pelagio is the 244th victim of extra-judicial killing (EJK) under the Duterte government according to the documentation of SAKA.

“Killing of peasants asserting their right to land has been the template of previous and current governments. We condemn the killing of Pelagio Compoc. Filipino farmers are being condemned to poverty and hunger to due to the failure of past and current regime to implement genuine land reform. When they assert their rights, they are immediately vilified as supporter or member of the NPA, justifying illegal arrests or worse, killed just like what happened to Compoc,” Ariel Casilao, Anakpawis Party-list Former Representative, said.

According to rights advocate Karapatan, Pelagio was summoned to a military detachment at Brgy. Dagohoy in 2007, and while there, he was interrogated and mauled by a certain Cpl. Lapus.

In the same year, he was coerced by certain. Sgt. Valencia of the 79th IB to give information on the whereabouts of his brother who is allegedly a rebel commander.

In 2004, while visiting his sister-in-law, a political prisoner, Pelagio was also briefly held by jail authorities, again, because he was the brother of an alleged ranking rebel official. (Stacy Ang/IAMIGO/Currentph.com)