At approximately 6:00 a.m. today, staff at Jollikod, a local eatery in Legazpi City owned by the family of Atty. Bartolome “Bart” Rayco, discovered two bullets ominously left at the entrance. The bullets were bound with black ribbons, one tethered to a piece of stone wrapped in paper and plastic. The paper contained a threatening message that read: “Atty. Bart Rayco MALAPIT KA NA!!” (Atty. Bart Rayco, your end is near!!!). Earlier, witnesses reported seeing unidentified men on a motorcycle stop outside the premises at around 4:00 a.m.

Fundamental freedoms are especially vital within educational institutions because education is not simply the transmission of knowledge; it is the formation of citizens capable of questioning authority, confronting injustice, and shaping democratic society.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) condemns the brazen double standard of a justice system that affords maximum leniency to the political elite while operating with merciless rigidity against human rights defenders. This glaring hypocrisy is freshly exposed by the provisional liberty granted to former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., contrasted against the protracted detention of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and human rights worker Marielle Domequil.