July 30, 2025
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) expresses grave concern over the attempted killing of Warren Cahayag, a long-time human rights advocate and former paralegal of the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM). Cahayag was shot multiple times by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle in General Santos City on July 29, 2025. He remains in critical condition.
This latest act of violence follows the recent killing of another former UPLM paralegal, Ali Macalintal, and the still unresolved assassination of Atty. Juan Macababbad in 2021. Human rights workers in Mindanao are being systematically targeted, while state responses have been either perfunctory or nonexistent. The continued failure to ensure protection or to conduct meaningful inquiries into these incidents has entrenched a climate of impunity that spans successive administrations.
The persistence of these assaults, particularly in marginalized communities, dangerously normalizes repression through extrajudicial means. Such violence often takes place away from public scrutiny and with little fear of consequence. In this context, official pronouncements about upholding the rule of law ring increasingly hollow.
We call for a thorough, impartial, and credible inquiry into the attack on Cahayag. This must go beyond identifying the direct perpetrators and must examine the broader political architecture, including the chain of command and potential involvement of the state. Anything less would not only fall short of justice but would further legitimize the machinery of impunity. ###
#StopTheAttacks
#DefendTheDefenders
