Trigger warning: violence

MANILA — The LGBTQIA+ community mourns the death of a trans woman just as the country commemorates Pride Month. 

Bella Lutap, 20, who had been missing for two days, was found dead in an irrigation canal in Nueva Ecija at around 3:40 p.m. on June 19, 2026. Her body was discovered submerged in the water with rocks tied to it, and was reportedly almost unrecognizable.

“I know Bella Lutap and she is my friend,” says Yell Teresa, spokesperson of gender rights group Bahaghari. “I heavily mourn for Bella because their stories reveal how violence against trans people is sustained by machismo and patriarchy that treats trans existence as disposable.”

Authorities identified her ex-boyfriend, Calvin, as the primary suspect in her brutal killing. He is currently under police custody and was charged with murder. It was Calvin’s father who discovered Lutap’s body.

In a report by Nueva Ecija-based community media, Calvin denied involvement in the crime but apologized to the family for leaving Lutap behind. They also reported that Marivic Lutap, the victim’s mother, called for justice and accountability to the people behind the killing.

Forensic investigation from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) revealed that Lutap died of manual strangulation. It also showed that Lutap resisted the violence based on her wounds in the neck and arms.

“During a month meant to honor the resilience, dignity, and humanity of LGBTQIA+ people, Bella’s brutal killing reminds us that Pride is not only a celebration. It is also a call for justice, safety, and accountability,” said the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP) in a statement.

Pioneer Filipino Trans Men Movement (FTM)’s data show that there have been more than 300 documented murders of transgender Filipinos due to transphobia. These cases are perceived to be lower, Pioneer FTM Executive Director Rocky Rinabor said, due to misgendering, underreporting, family concealment, and limitations in the monitoring system.

Read: Legal gender recognition upholds rights of transgender, non-binary people

“We refuse to let Bella become just another statistic. Her life mattered. Her story matters. And her death demands answers,” STRAP added.

Bulatlat asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the 10-year data of victims of homicide and murder, stratified by gender identity, including transgender people. The agency has yet to respond to the request. 

“These incidents are not isolated but rather the consequences of systems that fail to protect transgender Filipinos,” Teresa added. “Justice for Bella, justice for all trans people whose names we may never know, unreported, and hidden.”

Meanwhile, the international project Trans Murder Monitoring revealed that there have been more than 100 LGBTQ+-related killings in the Philippines.

Bahaghari vowed that the LGBTQIA+ community will continue to protest for equal rights, safe, and inclusive spaces for all. (AMU, RVO)