The Manila Times
THE National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) has expressed serious concern over reports that two Americans were among 19 people killed in clashes between government troops and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19. In a statement, Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., the NTF-Elcac executive director, identified the US nationals as Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem. The Manila Times has been trying to confirm the authenticity of the report from the Negros provincial police. The US Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The American fatalities highlight “the increasing involvement of individuals from outside the Philippines in local armed hostilities,” Torres said. Prijoles’ personal social media accounts indicate his affiliation with Anakbayan-USA since 2012, where he is believed to have served in various capacities, prior to his presence in the Philippines, Torres said. The Americans were among the 19 New People’s Army (NPA) combatants whose identities have been established and whose remains have been turned over to their families, he said. Torres sees a “disturbing convergence on foreign nationals in a live combat setting where the risks are immediate and the consequences irreversible.” “We encourage Filipino communities abroad to exercise caution in engagements that may extend beyond lawful advocacy and into areas that carry significant personal risk,” he said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has denied claims that civilians were among the fatalities in the Toboso incident. Earlier reports said a student leader and a local journalist died in the clash. Col. Louie Dema-ala, Philippine Army spokesman, questioned the presence of the youth leaders in the encounter site. Gen. Romeo Brawner, AFP chief, said the University of the Philippines student leader had a belt full of ammunition and was shooting at government troops. The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Sunday said over a hundred families were displaced by the fighting in Toboso. CHR Chairman Richard Palpal-latoc asked concerned authorities to provide humanitarian assistance to the families. The commission expressed grave concern over the incident where student leader Alyssa Alano and community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma were killed. Palpal-latoc said the agency is investigating the incident. “Information from local human rights advocates prompted coordination with civil society organizations, local authorities, and security forces, including working with the families for the retrieval of the remains,” he said. Citing inconsistencies over the identities of those killed, the CHR said that while the military maintains that all the casualties were members of an armed group, other organizations claim that Alano and Ledesma were civilians engaged in community work. “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,” said Palpal-latoc. Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima called for a congressional probe on the Toboso incident. “Beyond the question of whether the military operation was legitimate, there are serious allegations of violations that led to the deaths of 19 individuals, and we must investigate what truly transpired to find clarity and the truth,” de Lima, a former justice secretary and former CHR chairman, said in a statement. “We will file a resolution at the House to immediately investigate and answer our many questions about this incident,” she said in Filipino. Because of the high number of casualties, the operations carried out by the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion in Toboso “warrant an urgent investigation,” de Lima said. Military officials said the clash erupted as army troops responded to information provided by villagers about the presence of suspected rebels and that a rebel commander with a bounty of P1 million on his head was killed. A soldier was wounded in the fighting. Troops seized 24 firearms at the scene of the clashes, and an unspecified number of fleeing guerrillas were captured, the task force said. At its peak decades ago, the insurgent force had an estimated 25,000 fighters, who waged one of Asia’s longest-running communist rebellions. Battle defeats, factional divisions and surrenders, however, have reduced the number of rebels to below 900, according to security officials. Peace talks brokered by Norway collapsed under the previous president, Rodrigo Duterte, after both sides accused the other of continuing deadly attacks despite the negotiations. With REINA TOLENTINO and THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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