Marcos Jr. rallies for peace while rights groups report killings

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led an Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas campaign rally in Pili, Camarines Sur on Friday, March 7, emphasizing his government’s commitment to peace and human rights protection while criticizing the previous administration's approach to crime and drugs.

However, human rights defenders reported ongoing extrajudicial killings and harassment of progressive individuals under Marcos' rule, highlighting a lack of progress in addressing these issues.

Karapatan-Bikol documented 17 cases of extrajudicial killings and 764 other human rights violations in Bicol from June 2022 to December 2024.

Meanwhile, students at the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture were inconvenienced by the sudden cancellation of a meet-and-greet with Senator Pia Cayetano, part of the Alyansa slate.