Karapatan and Bahaghari condemned the brutal killing of Ali Jejhon S. Macalintal on June 23, at 7:00 a.m., inside Delmont Massage and Spa in Barangay Lagao, General Santos City.

Macalintal was working as an acupuncturist at the spa when an unidentified man shot him.

Macalintal, a transwoman, was a Bayan Muna member in her youth. In 2002, at the age of 19, she became a victim of torture and fabricated charges of illegal possession of explosives. After her release in 2010, she became an active member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and Karapatan. She also served as a paralegal for the Union of Peoples Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM). Later, she served as Karapatan-SOCSKSARGEN deputy secretary general from 2016 to 2018. Macalintal also organized and participated in fact-finding missions in Mindanao when martial law was declared on the island. She also joined the Lakbayan of National Minorities in 2017.

From 2019 to 2025, she worked as a radio anchor at Radio Philippines Network XDX GenSan and as host of “Dear Ka-Bandera” on Radyo Bandera News FM GenSan.

Macalintal’s colleagues said she received life threats which severely distressed her in recent days.

In 2024, she informed the Karapatan offices that she has been experiencing harassment and surveillance from state agents of the Task Force Gensan. She said she feared for her life because soldiers were looking for her at her cousin’s house and among her neighbors. When Macalintal asked the task force for an explanation, they forced her to sign a document. The harassment continued until her death.

Macalintal identified Ssgt. Makoy Manalo, Ssgt. Pandian, Ssgt. Toledo, and Ssgt. Bong Dionisio as some of the soldiers who threatened her. She told her family that these soldiers and Task Force Gensan must be held accountable if anything bad happened to her.

“She was one of the bravest LGBTQIA members of Karapatan. Diligent, courageous, affectionate. We are grieving,” Karapatan secretary general Christina Palabay said.

“Ali was a steadfast and outspoken human rights advocate. She was never afraid to speak the truth about power and expose uncomfortable truths. We lost a powerful voice in advancing LGBTQ+ rights in the country. Ali’s bravery will not be forgotten by the community during Pride month,” Bahaghari chairperson Reyna Valmores Salinas stated.

“The pervasive culture of impunity continues to embolden those who seek to silence critics and human rights defenders. This heinous act must not become another statistic in the long list of unsolved cases that plague our nation. The perpetrators must be identified, apprehended, and held accountable for their crimes,” Bayan Muna representative Atty. Carlos Zarate said.

Karapatan and Bahaghari called on authorities to conduct a prompt and independent investigation into the killing of Macalintal and hold the perpetrators accountable.