By Jennifer P. Rendon
An activist was killed in an early morning gun attack in Arevalo, Iloilo City on Thursday, on the eve of Labor Day today, May 1, 2020.
Jose Reynaldo “Jory” Porquia, Bayan Muna-Iloilo City coordinator, instantly died from nine gunshot wounds on his body.
Police Staff Sergeant Jessie Genterola, Arevalo police investigator, said Porquia was shot outside his coffee shop at Barangay Sto. Niño Norte around 5 a.m. Thursday by four persons.
Before the shooting episode, a 20-year-old resident passed by the area. The suspects allegedly pulled him aside and made him kneel.
One of the gunmen then told him, “Duko! Indi maghulag (Look down! Don’t move).”
Genterola said the witness obeyed the suspects. He then heard gunfire and saw Porquia bathed in blood.
The witness claimed he did not see the actual shooting but Genterola believed that two suspects may have shot Porquia.
Neighbors claimed to have seen four men on board two scooters speeding away from the scene.
Genterola said they are investigating who carried out Porquia’s assassination. The victim had no deregotary record in the area. He also did not report any threat to his life.
Genterola said the victim was a resident of Barangay Quintin Salas, Jaro district. He rented a place at Barangay Sto. Niño Norte claiming that he will put up a restaurant in time for the Paraw Regatta Festival.
But the annual festival that was supposedly scheduled to happen in February in Arevalo district was cancelled due to the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Genterola said the victim was with a helper only since his wife is abroad while his son is working in Manila.
CONDEMNATION
Progressive groups Bayan Muna and Karapatan Panay have condemned what they termed as a “traitorous murder of Porquia.”
In a statement released a few hours after the incident, Siegfred Desuro, Bayan Muna – Vice President for Visayas, insinuated that the unidentified men who carried out the murder are “suspected to be assassins of the State.”
“This is part of the impunity in political killings aimed at terrorizing activists critical of Duterte’s administration,” he said.
Reylan Vergara of Karapatan Panay claimed that Porquia allegedly intimated to him that he had long been a subject of surveillance operation.
That’s why Vergara believed that the killing is related to Porquia’s work as Bayan Panay coordinator.
Partido Manggagawa-Panay also condemned Porquia’s killing on the eve of Labor Day.
While reports remain sketchy as to the real motive behind the killing, Mario Andon of PM said he is bent on believing that Porquia was killed to suppress the growing protest against the current administration.
Andon said that Porquia has always been a vocal critic of the Duterte administration and the latter’s link to BAYAN may have caused Porquia’s early demise.
“This administration has the guts to declare that it respects freedom of speech and upholds human rights, yet more than ever, it likewise supports senseless killings of ordinary civilians and critical individuals by affording impunity to perpetuators. All these to silence the dissent against this gangster, sovereignty selling government,” Andon said.
Andon said that what the people need right now is support, especially in this time of quarantine and uncertainty.
“Ayuda, indi bala, ang kinahanglan ka pumuluyo”, Andon said.
Andon recalled that he and Porquia were among the so-called Iloilo 63 group of activists who were jailed in 1985.
HOUNDED BY POLICE?
Deduro said that prior to the incident, Jory was allegedly hounded by elements of the Iloilo City Police Office.
The reason? He led relief operations and education campaign on COVID-19 among hungry residents of poor communities in Iloilo City, Deduro said.
“Though Mayor Treñas welcomed the Bayan Muna initiative in assisting the LGU in educating and feeding quarantined residents, this did not sit well with the PNP. They prevent activists in doing volunteer work in fighting the pandemic, even to the extent of spreading blatant lies that “food served by activist is contaminated with the COVID-19 virus. Apparently, the PNP gets instructions from their generals ignoring the policies of local chief executives,” the statement added.
But ICPO had denied these accusations.
Police Major Engilbert Banquillo of Molo Police Station has hit the group for spreading lies and spinning the truth.
Banquillo said that the reports are laced with “lies and hypocrisy.”
Fortunately for Banquillo, he has Barangay Captain Pascual Espinosa IV of San Juan village to back up his claims.
He narrated that on April 15, they received information that non-residents entered San Juan to do mass feeding.
“We went to the area to confirm the report. Yes, it was true, around five persons entered the area to conduct mass feeding on April 14. Meaning, the mass feeding happened a day before we went to the area,” he said.
Investigation indicated that Porquia was among those who entered the village.
The group reportedly went to Zone 3 of Barangay San Juan and had someone cook meals that were later distributed to some residents without the village officials’ knowledge.
SURVIVING SEVERAL ADMINISTRATIONS
Deduro said that Porquia survived Marcos martial law as a leader of the League of Filipino students.
After Marcos was ousted, he served as OIC member of the National Youth Commission under Cory Aquino.
He later worked as an OFW in the Middle East and later in China, where he was active in organizing and advocating Filipino migrants’ rights.
“Upon his return to the country, he briefly engaged in the construction business and worked as Migrante organizer in Panay. Jory was an active environmentalist. He was among the activists of the Madia-as Ecological Movement, which was instrumental in the banning of destructive commercial mining in Panay.”
Porquia was one of the founders of Bayan Muna and has been a consistent organizer and campaigner for the partylist.
He was also active in BM’s engagement in developing good relations with local political leaders in Panay. He ran as councilor but lost under Mayor Jerry Treñas slate in the 2007 elections.
Under the leadership of former NAPC (National Anti-poverty Commission), Jory assumed the coordination of NAPC/BFAR projects in Panay in 2017-2018.
“Jory is a great loss to the progressive movement for social transformation, but will inspire Bayan Muna members and all activists to persist in advancing “New Politics” against the tyrannical rule of the current administration,” Deduro said.
SON’S PLEA
In a Facebook post, Porquia’s son Lean lamented his father’s assassination.
“They killed my tatay when all he wanted was to help the poor,” he said although he did not state who “they” were.
“They killed my tatay in the middle of a crisis when all he did was to give relief to those who need it.
They killed my tatay, mercilessly. Nine gunshots to kill him, nine! He was alone. He was defenseless.”
He claimed to have talked to him the night before the murder happened.
“We were just talking last night about your plans of opening up a small restaurant. You even showed me all the papers are ready. You even took a picture of your own masterpiece-dish and I told you to reserve some when I have the chance to go home,” Lean said.
He also expressed his helplessness over his father’s case.
“How can I go home and grieve? How can we cry for justice when justice is elusive for people who fight for justice? I can only place my rage in words that mean nothing to those who killed you,” he said.
Lean also posted on Facebook their last photo together on the day his father arrived from Canada to celebrate Mrs. Porquia’s birthday.
“Rest in power Tatay. Millions will rise and revenge your death,” Lean said.
