Lawyers’ group condemns shooting of GenSan paralegal

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 29 July) — The Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) condemned the shooting of its former paralegal, Warren Cahayag, who was critically wounded in an attack carried out by unidentified gunmen in General Santos Monday evening.

UPLM identified Cahayag as one of its founding paralegal members in 2005.

According to police reports quoted by Brigada News General Santos, Cahayag, a resident of Purok Lower Acharon in Barangay Calumpang, was shot five times.

Cahayag was reportedly standing in front of a cooperative store when two men on a motorcycle approached him, then the back rider shot Cahayag multiple times around 7:30 p.m. in Purok Bliss, Barangay Calumpang.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and remains under medical observation as of Tuesday afternoon.

Police investigators are still determining the motive behind the shooting.

In a statement released Tuesday, UPLM condemned the attack and described it as part of a “broader pattern of violence” targeting lawyers, activists, and human rights defenders in Mindanao and across the country.

“This act of violence occurred against a backdrop of relentless attacks against activists, lawyers—human rights defenders—both in the region and nationwide,” UPLM stated.

“These systematic assaults aim to create a chilling effect—sowing fear, silencing dissent, and paralyzing the vital work of those who serve the marginalized,” it added.

The group said it was apparently a pattern, with similar attacks happening in the past, including the killing of former UPLM paralegal Ali Macalintal inside her spa in General Santos City on June 23, 2025, and the unresolved case of lawyer Juan Macababbad, a UPLM member who was gunned down outside his home in Surallah, South Cotabato, on September 15, 2021.

UPLM urges President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to act decisively on what it described as a continuing pattern of extrajudicial violence.

“His deliberate failure to acknowledge the continuing human rights violations in his fourth State of the Nation Address betrays a lack of serious commitment to human rights, sanctity of life, and the rule of law and justice,” the group said.

UPLM also called on Philippine National Police officials, especially PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III, a South Cotabato native, to form a “dedicated and credible” special investigation task force to pursue both the gunmen and those who may have ordered the attacks.

In a statement back in June 2025, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) stated that they have documented at least six killings of lawyers under the Marcos administration since 2022.

“Many of those targeted are human rights defenders, counsel for political prisoners, and advocates for the poor and marginalized,” it said in a statement. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)