MANILA - The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) denounced Wednesday a knife attack that killed a trans woman in Pangasinan province, saying the incident is a reminder of the need for a "more inclusive society that respects the rule of law."

Jessa Remiendo, bearing a hack wound on her neck and right eye, was found dead on Tuesday in a white sand beach in Bolinao town, after leaving her office mates and sister to buy cigarettes in the middle of a late-night drinking session, media reports said.

"We condemn the attack against Jessa Remiendo... With the motive still unknown, we urge our police to ensure that there will be justice for her death," CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement.

"Nobody deserves to have their lives to be curtailed at a whim, let alone that the victim is part of the LGBTQIA+ community, a vulnerable sector of our society," added the lawyer.

The incident, she added, "reminds us all of the need to continue pushing for a more inclusive society that respects the rule of law and the dignity of everyone—regardless of their race, color, gender, creed, or class—for we are all humans who are equal before the law, as well as in dignity and rights."

Remiendo's killing comes as lawmakers deliberated on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality bill protecting the LGBT community from hate crimes and discrimination.

President Rodrigo Duterte will certify as urgent an anti-discrimination bill, not the SOGIE, his spokesperson Salvador Panelo said last week.