#JusticeForBettyBenito
In a secluded area of Purok 6, Barangay Sumpong, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, the body of Betty Benito, a 23-year-old transgender woman, was found with a fatal head injury believed to have been inflicted with a hard object. She was immediately rushed to the Bukidnon Provincial Medical Center, where she was pronounced DOA (dead on arrival).
Initial police reports claimed Benito – who was discovered with her lower garments pulled down – was last seen with a certain Reneboy Sandulog before the incident. He is now considered a person of interest (POI).
The investigation remains ongoing.
In a statement, the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines, Inc. (STRAP), a pioneering trans organizational in the Philippines, stated that with this, “we are painfully reminded of the reasons why we strive for reform. Betty, beloved by her family, friends, and community, is the most recent documented case of transfemicide and is evidence of the persisting pattern of violence towards transpinays (trans women and transfeminine individuals) rampant in the Philippines.”
Benito was a beautician and a pageant enthusiast, recently representing Barangay Manalog in the Miss Q and A Malaybalay 2026 pageant. A resident of Malaybalay, Bukidnon, she was also recognized with a Tourism Leadership Award.
