Slain activist remembered on 5th death anniversary

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By Juliane Judilla

BACOLOD CITY – Friends, family, human rights advocates, and church groups gathered Sunday, Aug. 17, to honor slain Bacolod activist Zara Alvarez, marking five years since her killing.

The memorial, which included a Mass and tribute program, brought together people from various sectors who remembered Alvarez as a passionate activist, mother, colleague, and courageous defender of human rights.

Alvarez was gunned down on the evening of Aug. 17, 2020, in an alleyway inside a subdivision in Bacolod City. She was 39.

A single mother and long-time human rights worker, Alvarez dedicated much of her life to organizing grassroots communities and working with church-based and non-governmental organizations in Negros Island. Prior to her death, she had been a consistent target of state surveillance, red-tagging, and judicial harassment.

In 2014, Alvarez was imprisoned for more than a year on what human rights groups described as trumped-up murder charges, which were later dismissed. She was also once included in a Department of Justice petition seeking to designate individuals as terrorists, a motion eventually rejected by the court.

In March 2018, her photo appeared on a tarpaulin circulated by the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office in Moises Padilla, branding her a communist insurgent. A year later, rights group Karapatan reported receiving a message with a thinly veiled threat naming Alvarez as “the next target.”

At Sunday’s memorial, members of Human Rights Advocates–Negros (HRAN) denounced the lack of progress in Alvarez’s case and condemned what they described as ongoing surveillance of her family by state security forces.

“Five years since Zara was murdered, police authorities have failed to conduct a thorough investigation,” HRAN said in a statement.

“Instead of pursuing justice, her family continues to face harassment and surveillance,” the group added.

The group vowed to continue Alvarez’s work, calling on others to carry forward her legacy of advocacy and service to marginalized communities.

“As we remember Zara on this day, we vow to continue her fight and to resist state terrorism,” HRAN said.

“We must be relentless in demanding justice for Zara and for other victims of extrajudicial killings in Negros. We must resist state fascism and all forms of attacks on our democratic rights.”

HRAN concluded its tribute with a call to action: “Be a human rights defender like Zara. We need volunteers who can contribute their time, talents, and resources for the cause of justice and human rights.”

Alvarez’s death remains a stark reminder of the dangers faced by human rights workers in the Philippines, particularly in Negros Island where activists and dissenters have long been targeted. Despite these risks, her life and legacy continue to inspire those committed to justice, truth, and the defense of the oppressed.