The death of a man who is remembered for putting up the forerunner of the now popular community pantry will be commemorated Friday, one year after he was mercilessly murdered in his rented room in Iloilo City.

As his family and friends remember Bayan Muna coordinator Jory Porquia, many of his colleagues remain convinced that he was silenced for initiating the community kitchen that served as a reminder of government’s alleged ineptness and failure to address the hunger and fierce economic backlash of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Ito ay kaso ng red-tagging na nauwi sa pamamaslang. Matagal na nating kinukondena ito at ipinapanawagang wakasan na ang karumal-dumal na hakbanging ito ng pamahalaan. (This is a case of red-tagging that led to murder. For a long time, we have condemned this and have appealed for an end to this despicable act of the government.),” stated Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat during a virtual press briefing yesterday.

Porquia was killed after facing accusations of being a communist. The allegations came out a few days after he put up the community kitchen that offered free food to the poor who were confronted with the adverse effects of the pandemic.

The idea behind the community kitchen has been replicated by many volunteers who put up community pantries in various parts of the country to distribute food and other basic necessities to families severely affected by the effects of the pandemic.

Asst. Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro disclosed that community pantry organizers have also become the object of red-tagging, with many of them expressing the fear that they might suffer the same fate that befell Porquia.

Speaking during the same press conference, Ian Porquia, son of the slain activist, chided the police for failing to conduct a thorough probe into the killing.

The young Porquia noted that after the killing, no government investigator has approached the family even to put up a semblance of investigating the crime.

“Hanggang ngayon ay ni walang maayos na imbestigasyon at ulat ang kapulisan hinggil sa kaso. Paano nga naman mangyayari ito kung mismong sila o ang mga bayaran nia ang salarin. (Until now, the police have yet to initiate a formal investigation or submit a report. But why would this happen when they or those whom they hired are the culprit),” insisted Cullamat.

Bryan Bosque, head of Bayan Muna Panay Island, disclosed that a relaunch of the community kitchen will be staged during the commemoration ceremonies marking Porquia’s death anniversary.