Still no justice for slain Iloilo activist Porquia
By
ILOILO City – It was exactly two years ago today when veteran activist Jose Reynaldo “Jory” Porquia was shot to death in his rented house in Barangay Sto. Niño Norte, Arevalo district by masked armed men.
Wh i l e his death has remained a mystery and justice elusive, his family and friends remember his activism, volunteerism and passion to serve the people, especially the marginalized.
“On his second year death anniversary we shall gather all our memories about Jory and the wonderful things he did for the Ilonggos,” his son Lean said.
Porquia’s activism spanned f our decades. I t started under Martial Law of dictator President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s. Then a student, he organized walkouts against unfair school policies.
Porquia was imprisoned twice in the 1980s but this had not deterred his commitment and passion for his activism, according to Lean.
“His activism inspired many to look after one another such as organizing local community kitchens at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020,” his son added
As a migrant worker, Porquia helped organize Ilonggo communities in Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
As an environmental activist, he resisted coal-fired power plant, the Jalaur mega dam project and i n 2004 helped organize the Madya-as Ecological Movement in Panay Island.
As an urban poor champion, Lean said, his father helped ambulant vendors, smallscale fisherfolks, urban poor communities in Iloilo City’s barangays of Tanza, Baluarte, Bito-on, So-oc, and many others.
“If Jory were alive today, he would’ve been on the streets and communities actively
organizing and campaigning for progressive candidates and the agenda for change,” said Lean.
Lean believed that his father’s commitment to serving the people is a legacy that will forever be carved in the history of the Ilonggos.
Meanwhile, the younger Porquia said that two years after the death of his father, there is no investigation from the local police.
“But it is in their silence that we find the courage to collectively demand justice for his death,” said Lean.
The activist’s son is also hopeful that the elections will change the course of justice for his father’s death.
“We are afraid, of course, that if the dark forces will win this elections, two years of injustice will ultimately result to an era of continued injustice, killings, arbitrary arrests, red- tagging, and the rise of de facto martial law akin to that of Marcos in the 1972,” he added./