Labor leader in Agusan del Norte shot dead

Linus Cubol was killed in front of his furniture store by motorcyle-riding gunmen

by Bobby Lagsa, Rappler, Nov 29, 2018

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – On the day President Rodrigo Duterte said he would create a team like the SPARU (Special Partisan Unit) that would target New People’s Army rebels and supporters, a labor leader was killed in Agusan del Norte.

Linus Cubol, former Caraga chairperson of Kilusang Mayo Uno and Anakpawis party-list coordinator, was shot dead Tuesday, November 27, in his furniture store in Santiago, Agusan del Norte by two assailants onboard a motorcycle.

In a statement Karapatan-Caraga said that Cubol was shot 5 times.

Cubol was the former president of Manila Mining Corporation workers’ union in Placer, Surigao del Norte in the 1990s. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Labor Center for Education and Research (LACER) based in Cagayan de Oro City in 1998.

During the early 2000s he became general secretary then chair of the KMU-Caraga, and for a short time headed the Bayan-Caraga.

A statement by Karapatan-Caraga said it suspected that the assassination was carried out by agents of the 29th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.

“Military agents continued to threaten and harass him in his hometown. Just a week before he was killed, intelligence agents of the 29th IBPA interrogated him for his continuous participation in labor and multi-sectoral activities,” Karapatan said. – Rappler.com