On January 29, Sergio Atay, 35, a member of local peasant group Magbabaul, was gunned down in San Roque, Rizal town, Zamboanga del Norte. Sergio was last seen alive at the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) checkpoint in the highway of Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental, and Rizal, Zamboanga del Norte on the evening of January 28. Atay was later found the next day, riddled with 5 bullets to the head. Medico-legal examination also revealed that he had torture marks and was hogtied.
Prior to his killing, Atay’s family reported that they were surveilled and were even visited by elements of the military several times in 2018. The peasant advocate was presumably targeted because of his active involvement as member of Magbabaul, which is also affiliated to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), an organization of farmers and advocates red-tagged by the government.