Silme Domingo
 Silme Domingo     (labor activist) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 January 1952 Killeen, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | 1 June 1981 (Age 29) |
Cause of death | gunshot |
| Spouse | Jane Willhite |
| Victim of | assassination |
| Interests | Ferdinand Marcos |
Assassinated labor activist, probably killed on orders of Ferdinand Marcos | |
Silme Domingo was a Filipino American unionist. Domingo was murdered with Gene Viernes in Seattle on June 1, 1981, in retaliation for the victims organizing against Philippine president-dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Assassination
Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes were officers and reformers in Local 37 of the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU). They were elected on a reform platform as officers of ILWU Local 37 — to end corruption and bribery in the union. Domingo and Viernes were both shot on the afternoon of June 1, 1981 inside the Local 37 offices in Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle. Viernes died on the spot. Domingo, shot four times in the abdomen, managed to struggle to the street. The union hall was only a block from a fire station; two firefighters arrived within minutes, and Domingo managed to tell them the names of the killers, "Guloy and Ramil".[1]
Taken to Harborview Medical Center, Domingo underwent multiple operations, but died the next day.[2] Pompeyo Benito Guloy and Jimmy Bulosan Ramil, both members of Local 37 and of the Tulisan gang, were found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.[3] During the investigation, the murders were further linked to Fortunato “Tony” Dictado, leader of the Tulisans.[4]
The murders were originally thought to be an isolated act of violence, but friends and family organized a Committee for Justice for Domingo and Viernes (CJDV) eventually found links between the murders to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda, who had ordered the murders in retaliation for the victims’ anti-Marcos organizing. In 1989, and a federal jury agreed with the CJDV, finding Marcos guilty of the murders.[5][6][7]
In 1991, former Local 37 president Constantine “Tony” Baruso (1928-2008) — a supporter of the Marcos regime — was also found guilty of aggravated first-degree murder in the death of Viernes but not Domingo.[8]
References
- ↑ Withey, Michael (2018). Summary Execution: The Seattle Assassinations of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes. WildBlue Press. p14-18
- ↑ Withey, Michael (2018). Summary Execution: The Seattle Assassinations of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes. WildBlue Press. p17-38
- ↑ Withey, Michael (2018). Summary Execution: The Seattle Assassinations of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes. WildBlue Press. p24-28, 127
- ↑ Withey, Michael (2018). Summary Execution: The Seattle Assassinations of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes. WildBlue Press. p26, 125, 150-153
- ↑ https://radsearem.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/june-1-1981-domingo-and-viernes/
- ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-17/news/8903180832_1_gene-viernes-silme-domingo-cannery-workers-union
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/13/us/marcos-allies-held-liable-in-deaths-of-foes.htmlus/marcos-allies-held-liable-in-deaths-of-foes.html
- ↑ http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/tony-baruso-former-union-president-convicted-of-murder-dies-in-prison/
