2 held in transwoman killing in Pangasinan; CHR condemns attack

BOLINAO, Pangasinan, Philippines — Police on Wednesday arrested two suspects in the killing of a transgender woman near a beach resort here on Tuesday.

A murder complaint would be filed against Isagani Dollaga and Michael Orpano for the killing of Jessa Remiendo, 29, police said.

The victim had hack wounds in her neck and right eye. Her body was found by a resort owner in Barangay Patar at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, a day after she was reported missing.

Col. Redrico Maranan, Pangasinan provincial police director, said that initial reports showed Remiendo was spending the night at a local resort with her friends when she decided to go out for a walk and buy cigarettes. Police said the victim failed to return.

‘Inclusive society’

Investigators have yet to disclose the suspects’ motive in killing Remiendo.

In Manila, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) condemned the attack on Remiendo, saying this was a reminder that the country needed to continue pushing for “a more inclusive society.”

“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, color, gender, creed or class—for we are all humans who are equal before the law, as well as in dignity and rights,” Jacqueline de Guia, CHR spokesperson, said in a statement.

Vulnerable sector

De Guia added: “Nobody deserves to have their lives to be curtailed at a whim, let alone that the victim is part of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual and others) community, a vulnerable sector of our society.” —Reports from Yolanda Sotelo and Patricia Denise M. Chiu