https://forum-asia.org/justiceforali/
Macalintal worked as a broadcaster at the Radio Philippines Network XDX. She also served as the former deputy secretary general of the Soccsksargen chapter of human rights organization KARAPATAN, a FORUM-ASIA member organization. Macalintal openly lived as a transgender woman and has proactively advocated for LGBTQIA+ rights in the Philippines.
“The killing of Ali Macalintal in broad daylight—particularly during Pride Month—reminds us of the ongoing threat against human rights defenders in the Philippines. The Philippine Government should thoroughly and impartially investigate all cases of violence and harassment against activists and journalists, making sure that no future brutality shall ever occur,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.
“Violence has become part of the lived realities of LGBTQIA+ persons. For LGBTQIA+ human rights defenders, there is precarity due to our identities and this is aggravated when we cross the safe lines of advocacy, and be critical to the human rights conditions of the country. The case of Ali Macalintal should be a wake up call to all duty bearers that true SOGIESC inclusion and equality means ensuring justice for those who faced violence,” said Ryan Silverio, Executive Director of ASEAN SOGIE Caucus.
“We are grieving the loss of Ali Macalintal—a dear colleague, friend, and fellow human rights defender—as we demand justice for her and all victims of human rights violations in a country that has witnessed one tyrant after another. We honor her life and legacy of activism by actively pursuing justice and accountability for all victims of State-sponsored and gender-based violence and by persisting in the struggle for gender equality and social liberation,” said Cristina Palabay, Secretary General of KARAPATAN.
What happened
Macalintal was shot three times by an unidentified gunman inside a spa and acupuncture clinic she owned.
In 2024, Macalintal reported experiencing harassment and surveillance by state agents. She was even being coerced to sign a document, stating that she was a rebel surrenderee. Macalintal refused to sign.
According to Karapatan, Macalintal identified the names of the alleged state agents who have been harassing her. She also asked her family to hold the said state agents accountable should anything happen to her.
A human rights defender
During her tenure in Karapatan, Macalintal co-organized and participated in fact-finding missions on human rights violations in Mindanao, the country’s second largest island. She served in missions which took place when former president Rodrigo Duterte declared Martial Law in Mindanao in 2017.
Macalintal also expressed solidarity with Mindanao’s Moro and Lumad communities, which often face militarized attacks.
As part of the judicial harassment Macalintal experienced, she and two others were wrongfully arrested for the 2002 bombing of Fitmart Mall in General Santos City. She experienced torture and sexual violence while in detention. The court later on determined that the evidence used against Macalintal was merely planted by the police during an illegal house raid.
Call to action
FORUM-ASIA, ASEAN SOGIE Caucus and KARAPATAN urge Philippines authorities to swiftly investigate Macalintal’s brutal killing and to hold perpetrators accountable.
While Macalintal was not an active journalist at the time of her killing, her activism and community work have greatly contributed to the advancement of human rights.
The Philippines remains to be a dangerous place for journalists, as stressed by Irene Khan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression.
The vilification and harassment against civil society actors—including journalists and human rights defenders—are further exacerbated by faulty judicial processes. All of these threaten people’s right to freedom of expression.
