Groups demand justice for slain ex-broadcaster, transgender activist

CAUSE-ORIENTED groups have sought justice for former radio broadcaster and activist Ali Macalintal, who was shot by a still unidentified gunman inside a spa in General Santos City on Monday, June 23, 2025.

“Karapatan calls for the swift investigation of the killing of Macalintal and to bring to justice the perpetrators of this gruesome killing. We are in grief,” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general.

She identified Macalintal as their former chapter deputy secretary in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao.

“Macalintal, also a member of the LGBTQIA [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual] community, co-organized and participated in several fact finding missions in Mindanao, including those when martial law was declared in the island,” said Palabay.

Bahaghari (Rainbow), an alliance of LGBTIQ organizations, also demanded a thorough investigation, calling the incident “emblematic of the situation of media workers and the state of press freedom in the Philippines.”

"Ali was never afraid to speak truth to power and expose uncomfortable truths,” said Reyna Valmores Salinas, Bahaghari’s chairperson, in a statement.

The country has recorded a 44% increase in attacks against media practitioners from July 1, 2022, to April 30, 2025, with 184 cases, according to a report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

“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," the Bahaghari leader said.

The authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the crime and the identity of the suspect, as of press time.

In the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, the Philippines ranks poorly at 116th out of 180 countries and territories, identifying the Catholic-majority country as one where the state of press freedom is “difficult.” (Ronald Reyes/SunStar Philippines)