Yet another massacre in plain sight
Last month, 19 individuals were killed in a military encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental. Among the fatalities were six civilians, including University of the Philippines student Alyssa Alano, journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma, as well as Filipino American human rights defenders Kai Sorem and Lyle Prijoles.
Mismatched facts
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claims that the Toboso operation was legitimate and approved by local government leaders as a valid continuation of the military efforts against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in the Negros region.
However, according to a statement by human rights group Karapatan, a national fact-finding and solidarity mission (NFSM), “six of the massacre victims were known civilians, including peasant advocates and peasant organizers, directly contradicting the military’s narrative that all those killed were combatants.”
Alano, for example, was a political science student who went all the way to Negros Occidental to practice what she had been learning in school. “Alyssa was widely admired by her peers and teachers as a decisive student leader with a sharp, critical mind that discerned the structure of injustice perpetuating the deep poverty and oppression of the landless farmers and agricultural workers of Negros,” said a statement by the UP Diliman Committee on the Protection of Academic Freedom and Human Rights.
“She understood how work in the student council intersected with service to the basic masses that sustain the education of the Iskolar ng Bayan.”
Meanwhile, Prijoles frequently traveled to the Philippines for solidarity exposure trips organized by Bay Area-based human rights groups. According to The San Francisco Standard, “Participants meet with farming families, hear their stories, and try to understand the conditions that political organizing back home can only begin to address.”
“[He was] kindhearted, a fan of history and ‘Star Wars,’ a caring uncle, a loving son, and a thoughtful brother… He died doing what he did best: being with the masses and learning from them,” says his wife Marienne Cuison.
But the Philippine Army (PA) maintains the opposite. “Available operational records and evidence recovered from the encounter site indicate that the individuals were not merely present as ordinary researchers or media workers. They were active combatants who were fighting alongside Roger Fabillar, a notorious communist-terrorist leader who is facing multiple arrest warrants.”
“The Army recognizes the sensitivity of the incident and respects the right of concerned groups and families to seek clarification. However, any fact-finding effort must be anchored on complete, verified, and contextualized facts.”
Calls for truth
Amid these contradicting reports, several human rights groups have called for a probe into the legality and legitimacy of the operation.
For the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), the Toboso incident could constitute a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and other international humanitarian laws. “International Humanitarian Law demands that no harm shall fall on civilians and that the state forces must desist from military operations that would clearly endanger civilians,” it states.
“The number of civilian casualties, coupled with initial forensic data on how several of them were killed, gives disturbing signs of potential violations of legal norms.”
Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) demands a thorough examination of facts, citing the glaring discrepancies and inconsistencies in reporting. “Either of the claims requires thorough, independent verification. Determination of status, circumstances of engagement, and proportionality must be based on verifiable facts and due process. In case of doubt, persons shall be presumed civilians.”
Fighting for who?
Just this Saturday, on May 16, another Negros clash resulted in the deaths of five alleged New People’s Army (NPA) members. Among them was former student leader Vince Francis Dingding.
“No Filipino death should ever be celebrated as a victory—least of all the death of a young, educated, and promising individual. Behind every casualty is not just a name in a report, but a son, a friend, a classmate, and a human life that once held immense possibility,” a statement by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) states.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s Memorandum Order No. 32, which aims to suppress remnant NPA forces and reduce “lawless violence” in the Negros region, has undoubtedly led to the deaths of many—both militant and civilian alike.
As it is with his drug war, matters of right or wrong, and who should or shouldn’t die are conversations without end. Just as some believe that drug users and pushers should be put to the sword, some will always believe that armed militants and their supporters deserve the same end.
But just like any “war,” the goal has always been to protect—our families and communities from drugs or communist forces. However, when members of the next generation—people with boundless hope and potential—are summarized in a list of collateral damages, it’s time we ask ourselves who we’re truly fighting for?
If it takes the lives of Alyssa Alano, Kai Sorem, Lyle Prijoles, Vince Francis Dingding, and many more, whatever cause it is—it simply isn’t worth it.
