of the dead body is still ongoing. Police have doubts it is Echanis because an ID found in the crime scene bears the name Manuel Santiago.The family had already positively identified Echanis and had released photos, but the activist's body was taken by the police to another funeral parlor, where they detained a paralegal guarding the body.
"Why require such a process? Why not just release the body of Ka Randy to his family so that they and Ka Randy’s friends can properly mourn his death and pay him their last respect? Are the police trying to cover up something?" said the family's lawyer Jobert Pahilga of the group Sentra. Guevarra said he will ask the National Bureau of Investigation to do a forensic examination"ASAP [as soon as possible]."
"The DOJ has already directed the NBI forensic investigation division to verify or confirm the identity of the deceased ASAP," said Guevarra."The administration said that a similar investigating team on the killing of peace consultant Randy Malayao was also created then, but to date, there has been no substantial development on Malayao’s case," said Karapatan.in the course of the Philippine government’s implementation of its counterinsurgency program.
The other 136 are not necessarily activists, but are involved one way or another with grassroots work, most of them farmers, said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay.