CHR slams killing of transwoman in Pangasinan

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has slammed the killing of a transwoman in Bolinao, Pangasinan, urging authorities to quickly resolve the case and bring justice to the victim’s family.

“We condemn the attack against Jessa Remiendo, a transgender woman who met a violent death in Bolinao, Pangasinan on Tuesday, September 17,” CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement on Wednesday.

“With the motive still unknown, we urge our police to ensure that there will be justice for her death,” she added.

According to police reports, Remiendo was spending the night with her friends when she decided to walk for a while.  She never returned back, and the following day, she was discovered with her neck slit and  with one of her eyes slashed.

De Guia said this incident stresses the need to advocate for a society who respects the rights of  the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Nobody deserves to have their lives to be curtailed at a whim, let alone that the victim is part of the LGBTQIA+ community, a vulnerable sector of our society,” she explained.

“This incident reminds us all of the need to continue pushing for a more inclusive society that respects the rule of law and the dignity of everyone—regardless of their race, colour, gender, creed, or class—for we are all humans who are equal before the law, as well as in dignity and rights,” she added.

Recent talks on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, seen to promote equal treatment of straight individuals and members of the LGBTQIA+, were prompted by the restroom issue in a Cubao mall that involved another transwoman.

READ: CHR will probe ‘discrimination’ vs trans woman in mall

READ: Sign SOGIE bill: Transgender woman in ladies’ room incident asks Duterte 

Various pro-LGBT groups have called for a probe of the incident, while asking Congress to pass the SOGIE Equality Bill.  However, several lawmakers including Senate President Vicente Sotto III himself dismissed the chances of the measure hurdling Senate, saying it goes against women rights.  /muf

READ: SOGIE bill won’t promote equality; only ‘special’ rights to LGBT – solon

READ: Sotto: ‘No chance’ of passing SOGIE bill in Senate

READ: Sotto says Sogie bill ‘against women’s rights’