An activist was shot dead in Iloilo City early Thursday morning, April 30.

Jory Porquia, Iloilo City coordinator of the party-list group Bayan Muna, was inside his house in Barangay Santo Niño Norte, Arevalo district when gunmen fired shots at him.

The 50-year-old victim died on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, Police Regional Office Visayas regional police spokesperson, said investigation is still ongoing to determine the motive and identity of the assailants.

Bayan Muna “condemned in the strongest terms” the assassination of Porquia.

“This is part of the impunity in political killings aimed at terrorizing activists critical of Duterte’s administration, said Siegred D. Deduro, vice president for the Visayas of Bayan Muna.

“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,” he added.

According to Deduro, prior to the shooting incident, Porquia was allegedly “hounded by elements of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) “for leading relief operations and education campaign on COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) among hungry residents of poor communities in the city.”

“Though Mayor [Jerry] Treñas welcomed the Bayan Muna initiative in assisting the LGU (local government unit) in educating and feeding quarantined residents, this did not sit well with the PNP (Philippine National Police). They prevent activists in doing volunteer work in fighting the pandemic,” he said.

Porquia served as OIC member of the National Youth Commission (NYC) during the administration of former president Cory Aquino. 

“Jory was an active environmentalist. He was among the activists of the Madia-as Ecological Movement, which was instrumental in the banning of desctructive commercial mining in Panay,” Deduro said.

Porquia was one of the founders of Bayan Muna. He was active in the party-list group’s engagement in developing good relations with local political leaders in Panay. 

In 2007, Porquia ran for councilor of the city, but he did not win.IMT