In Salamanca, Toboso, in Negros Occidental province, on the central Philippines island of Negros April 19th. The 79th Infantry Battalion of the AFP (79IB) was pursing the Northern Negros Front of the CPP's New People's Army (NPA NNF); the leader Roger "Ka Tapang" Fabillar, 37, was among the 10 guerrillas killed, out of the total of 19 deaths. There is evidence that Fabillar was summarily executed; a wounded woman was left to die; evidence was planted to incriminate; and that the post-encounter investigation was poorly done or undermined; the Philippine government red-tagged and vilified alleged civilians. – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toboso_encounter
April 30th – cpj.org/2026/04/philippine-journalist-rj-nichole-ledesma-killed-in-army-operation/
cpj.org/data/people/rj-nichole-ledesma/
April 29th – "On the Toboso Massacre in the Philippines" – www.workers.org/2026/04/92347/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toboso_encounter –
Claimed as soldiers by the NPA:
- Roger "Ka Tapang" Fabillar, 37, NPA Northern Negros Front commander (identified by PNP)[54]
- Rene "Kumander Pikot" Villarin Sr., 57, squad leader (identified by PNP)[54]
- Genevieve "Ka Raia" Balora
- Maria Clarita "Ka Sanim/Pat" Branzuel Blanco
- Pedro A. Bonghanoy, medical officer (identified by PNP)[54]
- Sonny Boy M. Caramihan, 28 (identified by PNP)[54]
- Labskie Purisimia Enustacion, 33
- Jocel Gimang, 18
- Arnel M. Javoc, 32 (identified by PNP)[54]
- Joros Caramihan y Ramos, 18
Claimed to be civilians, "unarmed or non-combatants," according to Wikipedia:
- Alyssa G. Alano – a 22-year-old undergraduate student of political science at the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) who also served as a councilor of the UPD Student Council. She previously chaired the student organization League of Filipino Students (LFS) UPD chapter from 2024 to 2025.[10][9][45]
- RJ Nichole Ledesma – a 30-year-old journalist and human rights advocate who was an editor of Paghimutad-Negros, a publication of the Altermidya Publication Network.[48] He researched and reported on human rights violations in the Negros region.[49] He was the 7th nominee of the Kabataan Partylist in the 2022 Philippine House of Representatives elections, a former editor of The Spectrum, the student publication of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod,[12] and a former chairperson of LFS Bacolod.[48]
- Lyle Prijoles – a 40-year-old American human rights advocate and community organizer of Filipino descent from San Diego who had studied Asian American studies at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and later become a country council member of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP).[50][51] He came from LFS SFSU and became the founding solidarity officer of Anakbayan-USA.[52]
- Maureen Keil C. Santuyo – a 24-year-old peasant organizer of the National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates Youth (NNARA Youth) who was also taking an associate of arts course at the University of the Philippines Open University.[53] She was previously a former officer of Anakbayan Makati.
- Kai Dana Sorem – a 26-year-old musician and youth organizer who was a co-founder of the Anakbayan chapter of South Seattle.[8]
- Errol Wendel – a researcher for the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) who was preparing a situationer report on the plight of Negros sakadas (sugarcane workers) when who was killed, and previously worked as a community organizer for sugar workers in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac.[14]
Roel Sabillo, 19, a farmer from the Toboso area (named by both the NPA and the Philippine National Police)
Two unnamed minors, a 15-year-old from Toboso and a 17-year-old from Barangay Lalong, Calatrava
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toboso,_Negros_Occidental
June 14, 2023 in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fausto_massacre
Exercise Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder), involving the US, the Philippines, and others, was going on: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balikatan
The Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2026 is on-going now, June 24th-August 4th: went2thebridge.substack.com/p/even-more-resistance and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIMPAC
Originally posted, May 22nd, at: new-students-for-a-democratic-society.ghost.io/national-sds-demands-justice-for-the-negros-19/
National SDS Demands Justice for the Negros 19!
Last week on April 20th, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) carried out a massacre killing 19 people and displacing hundreds of families through prolonged indiscriminate strafing in Negros. In a clear violation of international human rights law, the AFP murdered innocent civilians including farmers, journalists, student leaders and human rights advocates. The fascist Philippine government is pushing a false narrative that these community members were “terrorists”. We reject this lie and demand justice for all who were murdered.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, which has been carrying out a brutal campaign of repression against dissenters and activists who speak out against Marcos, fired indiscriminately on villagers in Negros, many of whom are sugarcane workers. These student leaders had dedicated decades to learning about the human rights atrocities committed on the people of the Philippines by the US-backed Marcos regime, all in the name of US economic interests. In the end, they died heroes and patriots and will be forever remembered and mourned for their service to the people.
As a student and youth activist organization, we were grieved to learn of the murders of journalist RJ Ledesma, filipino student leader Alyssa Alano, and Filipino-American youth activist Kai Sorem. These were young people who were advocating for their community and building a better future for all. We also uplift the calls for justice for Filipino-American human rights advocate Lyle Prijoles and peasant advocates Errol Wendel and Maureen Santuyo. We demand justice for those who have been named and all who have lost their lives to the violence of Marcos’ fascist regime.
National SDS extends our condolences to the loved ones, families, and communities affected by this act of violence. We will continue to work with organizations like Anakbayan and uplift their demands:
JUSTICE FOR THE NEGROS 19!
STOP THE KILLINGS!
US OUT OF THE PHILLIPINES!
Sent out at mid-day on May 8th:
Veterans For Peace Condemns |
Two U.S. human rights activists among 19 people killed. |
Veterans For Peace condemns the April 19-20 massacre by the U.S.-backed Filipino Armed Forces of 19 people in Negros Occidental state. The dead include New People’s Army fighters as well as unarmed community organizers, journalists, and human rights activists. We send our sincere condolences to their families, including those of two U.S. citizens. Kai Sorem, a 26-year-old Filipino-American woman from Washington State, and Lyle Prijoles, a 40-year-old Filipino-American man from California, were immersing with the communities in Negros to learn firsthand the daily hardships of peasant farming communities and their struggle for land and justice. It is no coincidence that this bloodshed occurred as the U.S. and Philippines' militaries conduct the annual multi-lateral Balikatan ("Shoulder-to-Shoulder") military exercises. Balikatan was launched in 2001, initially justified under the Global War on Terror and concentrated on counterinsurgency operations. Over time, Balikatan and dozens of other annual U.S.-Philippines military exercises evolved into mechanisms for interoperability, logistics integration, and strategic positioning. Since their beginning, the Balikatan exercises have fostered numerous human rights violations against the Filipino people. This massacre of the Negros 19 is an apparent violation of human rights and international law. Veterans For Peace joins with others in the Philippines and the U.S. who are calling for an immediate and independent investigation into the massacre, and for an end to extensive U.S. military aid and joint military exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Furthermore, we commit ourselves to learning more about the long history of colonial and neo-colonial U.S. intervention in the Philippines so that we can stand in solidarity with Filipino communities who are resisting imperialism and fascism in a deeply poor and exploited society. We share here the full statement and call to action from the Resist U.S.-Led War Movement. |
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