DFA hails ‘hero’: Filipino man dies days after defending 2 women in Slovakia

A Filipino man died a “hero” days after he was attacked by two men who he confronted trying to defend two women in Slovakia.

Henry John Acorda, 36, died on Thursday, May 31, at the University Hospital Ruzjnov after he was badly beaten up in the capital city of Bratislava, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

A 28-year-old local man was taken into custody and was charged with manslaughter in connection with the incident.

The Philippine Embassy in Vienna, citing media reports, said Acorda was attacked by two men against whom he tried to defend two women they had been harassing.

The embassy said they assisted Acorda’s mother and siblings who flew to Slovakia to take care of him.

The Philippine Consulate in Bratislava sought the help of local lawyers to discuss Acorda’s case. They would also assist the family in repatriating his remains.

The DFA has condoled with the family of Acorda, who was regarded as a “hero” for trying to rescue the women.

“We mourn the loss of another of our own who by all accounts is a hero who came to the rescue of the defenseless in a land that is not even his,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of our kababayan Henry John Acorda.” /atm