Perhaps highlighting how LGBTQIA-related crimes continue to be pervasive in the Philippines, a transgender woman was found dead in Bolinao town in Pangasinan.
As earlier reported by Noreen Barber, overall president of the United Pangasinan Association LGBTQ+, the body of Jessa Remiendo was found on the shore of Patar on Tuesday, September 17. This was eventually confirmed by Bolinao town police chief Major Dennis Cabigat.
According to the police report, Remiendo – who used to work in one of the resorts in Bolinao – was drinking with coworkers and her sister at the Valdevia Resort on Monday, September 16. She left the group to buy some cigarettes; but she never returned.
Her lifeless body was found the next day. Stripped of her clothes, she was hacked multiple times.
In a post on her Facebook page, Barber said that this is the first time that something like this happened in the province. This is one “karumal-dumal na krimen na mahigpit na kinokondena ng LGBTQIA (community),” Barber stated, adding that “marami ang hindi makatanggap sa pangyayaring ito dahil isa siyang mabuting tao; napakabait at masipag si Jessa (this is a heinous crime that the LGBTQIA community condemns… Many cannot comprehend this because Jessa was a good person; she was kind and hard-working).”
Barber cautioned that the gruesome murder should signal other LGBTQIA people to be cautious because “hate crimes sa mga katulad natin ay walang pinipili. Hanggat di pa naipapasa ang SOGIE Equality Bill tayo ay mananatiling the most unprotected and neglected sector sa ating komunidad (hate crimes can just be committed against people like us. For as long as the SOGIE Equality Bill is not passed, we will continue to be the most unprotected and neglected sector in our community).”
Various LGBTQIA organizations are already condemning the crime.
In a Facebook post, UP Babaylan stated: “Brutal hate crimes like this are the most violent expression of the prejudice against people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC). In the transgender community alone, there were 29 murders documented in the Philippines from 2008 to 2015, including the high-profile case of Jennifer Laude.”
It, therefore, “condemns in the strongest possible terms this violent killing of our trans sister. We demand that the police immediately respond to this case with a fair and extensive investigation, and the prosecution of the perpetrators. We also call on the local government units of Bolinao and Pangasinan to prioritize the resolution of this case, and to enact protective measures for their LGBTQI community in the absence of a national anti-discrimination law.”
For UP Babaylan, similar to Barber’s call, “this only stresses the need for the immediate passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill. We demand that our senators do their duty to protect our constitutionally-recognized rights as human beings, and finally pass into law one of the policies that will protect us from discrimination on the basis of our SOGIESC.”
For Sanggunian: Commission on Gender Equality, the gruesome murder “incites fear among the LGBTQ+, and serves as a wake-up call to open people’s eyes to the vulnerability of the community.”
While mourning the death of Remiendo, it is also calling upon the government “to pass the SOGIE Equality Bill to prevent heinous crimes such as (this) from happening, and to protect the rights of (its) citizens.”
For its part, the LGBTQ+ Partylist called on the Philippine National Police and the local government of Bolinao to “act swiftly on (Remiendo’s) case and give her the justice she deserves.”
It added that “it is apparent that even with the safeguards provided by the law in our country, it is not enough to mitigate the discrimination, harassment, and violence experienced by the LGBTQ+ community. Thus, it is of utmost importance that both Houses of the Philippine Congress pass the SOGIE Equality Bill the soonest to provide a national law that will protect everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE).”
The partylist also called for members of the LGBTQIA community to “continually push for a more just and inclusive society where people respect each other’s differences and individual rights. Until every LGBTQ+ person and other minorities in the Philippines feel free enough to live their lives without fear of oppression and violence, let us not stop advocating for our rights.”
For LGBT Pilipinas, “years after the brutal murder of transgender woman Jennifer Laude, the Filipino LGBTQ+ community is again shaken by the news of a mutilated body of transgender woman and breadwinner (Remiendo) who was found on the shore of Patar Beach in Bolinao, Pangasinan. She was hacked to death, almost severing her head from her body, by a criminal still at large. The gruesome image of her stripped body soaked in blood and sand is more than enough reason to say this is not a typical murder case. This is a case of hate crime expressed most violently in prejudice against transgender women and other individuals of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics.”
The partylist organization condemned “in the strongest terms such egregious act of hatred, bigotry and violence towards another of our sisters in the community. Remiendo’s murder is undeniable proof that the Filipino LGBTQ+ community continues to be the subject of discrimination amid lack of protection from our government and legal safeguards to rely on. Turning a blind eye on the plight of transgender women only makes matters much worse for our ostensibly civilized society. Whatever the reason, no one—LGBTQ+ or otherwise—deserves to perish in such manner.”
And since the Bolinao police agreed that the killing was “unusual” based on their investigation, “we challenge them to swiftly pursue every lead possible and ensure that Remiendo’s perpetrator will have his day in court. Hate crime, including gender-based violence, is no ordinary felony. It is rooted in one’s strong unfavorable emotions against an individual’s identity and being, that usually makes the LGBTQ+ community a vulnerable target. Time and again, we implore the 18th Congress to finally pass a national anti-discriminatory policy.”
Lastly, “to those who criticize our community for speaking up and fighting for equal treatment and opportunity, it is time you stop the hypocrisy. Keeping safe from harm of discrimination and violence does not give you the privilege to be apathetic and insensitive towards a group of people, especially a minority that has suffered much through the decades. Now more than ever, the LGBTQ+ community has the cause to demand justice,”LGBT Pilipinas ended.
The local police is still investigating the case with one lead.
