A transgender woman died after being stabbed inside her salon in Barangay Tabe, Guiguinto, Bulacan.
The victim was identified as Cindy Jones Torres, 39 years of age.
According to the report, someone asked the authorities for help because someone was grappling inside the victim’s salon but they could not look because the door was locked.
When the door was opened, a stabbed-dead body of Tores was exposed.
The suspect was immediately arrested and admitted that he stabbed the victim because the victim allegedly tried to rape him.
Torres’ relatives and friends denied the allegation that the man had been borrowing money from the victim for a long time. Based on the police investigation, this is the primary cause of the murder so the suspect will face murder charges.
Various organizations have condemned the incident such as Pantay Pilipinas and Bulacan State University Bahaghari, and said that up to 50 members of the LGBTQ community have been killed due to hate crimes since 2010 so it is time for them to pass the an anti-hate crime law.
Meanwhile, On Friday, the Commission on Human Rights announced that it would investigate the incident.
“The case of Cindy Jones, as well as other similar instances of reprehensible and senseless acts of violence, stresses the harsh realities faced by the LGBTQI community, who are more vulnerable to hate-motivated violence even in present-day society,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia said.
“As the suspect is currently in custody, we hold that the police will do their utmost best to ascertain the truth so that justice may attained, and the perpetrator be held to account,” she added.
“We strongly echo CHR’s call for better protection of the LGBTQI community through the enactment of the SOGIE Equality Bill, which is envisioned to provide legal mechanisms to hold to account perpetrators of gender-based discrimination and violence.”