Left-wing activist gunned down in Digos City

Unidentified gunmen fatally shot a left-wing union activist yesterday, police said — the latest in a spate of unexplained killings condemned by the US and the European Union.

Renato "Atong" Torrecampo Pacaide, 53, from the left-wing group Anakpawis, died of a gunshot wound to the head in southern Digos city, said police Chief Superintendent Geary Barias.

Anakpawis, or "toiling masses," is part of Bayan, the country’s biggest left-wing alliance. The Anakpawis party, which espouses Marxist views, has one member in the House of Representatives.

Pacaide’s daughter, who was with him when he was shot by one of two men on a motorcycle, was unhurt, Barias said.

"We view with serious concern this latest incident, and I have directed the (police commander) to look into the case and see to it that no stone will be left unturned," he said.

The killing took place at 11 a.m. near the victim’s house along Lim Extension and Rizal Streets, just 100 meters away from the police station in Digos City, Davao del Sur. Police said Pacaide sustained four gunshot wounds.

Some relatives and colleagues of Pacaide told police he was organizing a labor union action against a planned layoff of 80 workers from a local company, regional police chief Andres Caro said.

Aside from Anakpawis, Pacaide was also an active member of the Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Davao de Sur, an affiliate of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

He said that police were drawing sketches of suspects based on witnesses’ descriptions, and that the gunmen had fled after the shooting.

US and European embassies have lamented a slow pace of investigation into the killings of left-wing activists, after a UN investigator and a local inquiry last week blamed most of the killings on soldiers.

The military has denied involvement in extrajudicial killings, saying the number of deaths is inflated.

Military officials have alleged that activists have links to communist rebels, who have waged a 39-year-old urban-based insurgency.

Local human rights group Karapatan says more than 800 activists have been killed since President Arroyo took power in 2001. Police say 116 activists have been slain.

"Our cops should take their investigation seriously because this is a serious government concern," Barias said. – AP, Edith Regalado