Justice for the victims of the Negros 19 Massacre! Hold the military accountable for violations against human rights and the International Humanitarian Law!

We strongly condemn the Armed Forces of the Philippines for its brutal killings of both combatants and civilians in Toboso, Negros Occidental last April 19. This marks the fourth massacre carried out by state forces under the Marcos Jr. administration. It is long overdue for the state–especially its military and Commander-in-Chief Marcos Jr.–to be held accountable for its countless crimes against the Filipino people.

We deeply mourn the deaths of Alyssa Alano, RJ Ledesma, Maureen Santuyo, Errol Wendel, Lyle Prijoles, and Kai Sorem, who chose to immerse themselves in the peasant communities of Negros despite the grave risks to their lives and safety. At the same time, we salute them for their courage and love for the masses. They sought to learn from the genuine conditions of the oppressed peoples of Negros and dedicated their time, knowledge, and efforts toward advancing their campaigns. They embodied an understanding of education that goes beyond the four walls of the classroom, one rooted in serving the people and responding to the urgent realities faced in the countryside.

We urge the public to learn more about why they chose to go to these communities, especially amid the state-sponsored propaganda and disinformation being spread against them. These six were not armed rebels. They were students, teachers, journalists, and rights defenders.

Negros continues to face intense militarization and repression as its people organize and fight for their democratic rights. Indigenous Peoples in Negros resist corporate plunder as destructive projects aggressively encroach upon and seize ancestral lands. Peasants continue to rise against the feudal system that keeps them impoverished, alongside worsening economic hardships brought about by rising prices, oil price shocks, and rampant government corruption. The suffering of the people of Negros is immense, but so too is their resistance. It is precisely this resistance that the state seeks to crush through acts of terror such as the massacre of civilians and revolutionaries alike.

The AFP continues to prove itself to be a bloodthirsty executioner. Time and time again, they show that they make little to no distinction between combatants and civilians. They are willing to kill anyone who dares to believe in and struggle for genuine societal change in this rotten system. A member of the New People’s Army or not, those killed in the Negros 19 Massacre were rights holders whose lives and dignity are protected under human rights and International Humanitarian Law. A recently conducted autopsy of those killed in the Negros 19 massacre in the Philippines reveal that the AFP mishandled the bodies, tampered evidence, and even retruned the wrong body to Errol’s family. These horrific facts reveal the AFP’s war crimes and lack of humanity.

We call on the public to collectively demand justice for the Negros 19, to demand for an independent and impartial investigation into the killings.  We must hold Marcos Jr. accountable for his crimes as Commander-in-Chief of the AFP, and for their rejection of reopening the peace negotiations in which the roots of armed conflict can be genuinely addressed. 

The struggle of the people of Negros is just. What Alyssa, RJ, Maureen, Errol, Lyle, Kai, and even the slain NPA fighters struggled for was rooted in the fight against exploitation, oppression, and a rotten social system. To resist in the face of injustice is just, and no amount of state terror, red-tagging, or violence can erase that truth.

Reference: Funa-ay Claver, Secretary-General