Police eye two angles on human rights activist’s slay

By Glazyl Masculino

 

BACOLOD CITY – The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is looking into grudge and previous activities of a human rights activist who was gunned down on a rainy Monday evening at Eroreco Subdivision, Barangay Mandalagan here.

Zara Alvarez, 39, of Cadiz City, Negros Occidental was walking to her boarding house here along with her caretaker when they were tailed by an unidentified gunman around 7 pm, said Police Captain Richard Fajarito, head of Police Station 3.

Alvarez, a Negros-based staff of Karapatan-Negros was shot from behind three times, while her companion was unharmed.

She was shot again when she fell on the ground, Fajarito said. She succumbed to six gunshot wounds.

Fajarito said Alvarez was the target, adding that the manner of the attack was well-planned.

“It was raining and the area was too dark,” the station commander added.

The gunman, who was chased by some watchmen, immediately fled on board a motorcycle driven by an unidentified companion, Fajarito said.

Police recovered from the scene three fired ammunition cartridges and a fired bullet of an unknown caliber.

Meanwhile, Police Colonel Henry Biñas, BCPO director, said they are still assessing if there is a need to create a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) that will focus on probing the incident.

Biñas said they will still have to check if Alvarez’s case qualifies for the parameters in creating an SITG, adding that it will still depend on the progress of the investigation conducted by the Police Station 3.

Biñas said they will review the victim’s previous activities to determine if it had something to do with the killing, adding that she was tagged in a previous murder case in Cadiz City and was out on bail.

He said the victim had been staying in the area for almost a month now, and reportedly introduced herself as a worker of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

He said they will continue to look into the matter, though he has not received any information if the victim had previous threats.

 

 

‘CONDEMNATION’

Some progressive groups are calling for justice for the death of Alvarez.

Karapatan-Negros Island said they are in deep grief and indignation.

The group said that Alvarez was imprisoned for nearly two years and after her release, she continued to work as Karapatan’s paralegal and as research and advocacy officer of the Negros Island Health Integrated Program (NIHIP).

The group said they will honor Alvarez’s legacy as a passionate, selfless, and dedicated human rights worker, by continuing the struggle for realization of people’s rights.

We will never relent in pursuing justice for Zara, and all victims of extrajudicial killings, the group added.

Gabriela Women’s Party, in a statement, vehemently condemned the extrajudicial killing of Alvarez.

“We are in deep grief and rage as another political activist joins the long list of those murdered under the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte even as we continue to face the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic,” the group said.

The League of Filipino Students (LFS)- Bacolod also condemned the murder of Alvarez, whom they claimed was reportedly tagged as a “terrorist” in 2018.

“While we grieve with Zara and her family, LFS-Bacolod also strongly calls for justice for her death and for an end to the attacks against staunch human rights activists,” the group said.

The group together with other progressive groups held an indignation rally at the Social Action Center here yesterday to condemn the recent killing.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos City said Alvarez was a human rights champion in the Negros island, an activist, organizer and ecumenical church worker.

Her active involvement in the Church People-Workers Solidarity is worthy of emulation – always reminding us to be prophetic in our work of evangelization and social justice, he said.

“I bleed of this never-ending injustice and violence. These systemic killings of human rights defenders and activists must be condemned and must stop,” Alminaza said.

“Our responsible agencies must pursue justice and accountability on those responsible and should never allow impunity of criminals doing senseless executions of Filipinos,” he added.